The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh
by NancyBG-OldMaidWhovian
Summary: Something ancient and evil is awakening under the sands of Egypt.
1. Chapter 1

Doctor Who: Curse of the Silver Pharaoh

Prologue

A brightly striped camel hair tent was sitting on a hill in the middle of the desert, in a place once known as the ancient city of Aznac. In the distance before the tent, was a undulating valley made up entirely of sand, ending abruptly narrow belt of emerald green. A wide strip of palm trees, verdant farm fields, irrigation ditches, mud brick homes and boundary walls marked the course of the Nile. Elsewhere, there was nothing but sand. Sand that had held its secrets close to its heart, for thousands of years.

In the direction of the river, faintly heard on the wind, came snatches of the call to prayer from a distant minaret. Sometimes one could hear the crowing of a cockerel or the braying of a donkey. Otherwise, the only sound was the caressing whisper of the ceaseless desert wind. The sun was just setting. It turned the monotonous beige dunes crimson as blood. Normally, this would be a peaceful moment at the end of a long January day. But, from inside the tent, came the sound of angry voices.

"Tell him I'll hear no more about it!" Shouted a clipped, cultured Englishman's voice. "I'm a modern man of science. And I assure you all, there are no such things as evil spirits. I can unequivocally guarantee there's no monsters lurking about 'round here. It's all a load of superstitious tommy-rot! This is nineteen hundred and thirty-eight A.D., not nine hundred and thirty B.C. And as for you, young man...you've caused me a lot of unnecessary bother. I want you off of this dig as soon as you can pack your things. I mean, right now! And you can forget about a place at university. I wouldn't recommend you for a job as a...a...fish monger!"

The ornately decorated rug placed across the tent's opening was violently pushed aside. There emerged a man with a stormy, choleric expression, whom walked briskly away. He didn't notice the Nile or the sunset. He was too busy cursing under his breath. The man was short and wiry, with a trim, pencil-thin black mustache. He was wearing khaki jodhpurs, a white shirt, tweed jacket and a bow tie. On his head was a pith helmet, and his feet were encased in dusty brown paddock boots. An old army revolver in a brown holster was strapped to his belt. A few dozen paces in front of the tent was an archaeological excavation site, which he headed purposely towards without so much as a backwards glance.

All around the area were sweaty, dirty, robe-clad labourers with rustic digging tools. They were working near what appeared to be the remains of a rather substantial stone wall. Or rather, the men had been working. Now they'd stopped. All of them had fallen strangely silent. They were staring apprehensively at a deep, dark crack in the sands around one corner of the wall. It had opened without warning, sucking one worker into its fathomless depths. The man had given a terrifying scream, which seemed to go on forever, before it cut out quite suddenly with one final, horrific shriek.

Professor Havensworth chalked it up to a simple cave in. Obviously they'd stumbled upon some sort of underground chamber or tunnel. He cast a baleful eye at the workers and sniffed with disdain. As far as he was concerned, these fellows were merely ignorant superstitious peasants. He supposed they simply had looked for any excuse to stop working. However, the local sheik or whatever he was, whom had been summoned here, seemed to disagree.

Out of the tent strode a tall, powerfully built middle aged man. He was dressed in a red and white patterned Arab headscarf and immaculate unadorned scarlet and white robes. His craggy, bearded face had a fierce, warrior-like expression. Flanked by two giant Nubian's as he walked, this man exuded an air of power and authority. The pair of guards were clothed in scarlet and gold trimmed uniforms and red fez's. Both carried huge shiny curved swords at their sides.

Behind these two, came a young Egyptian man. Unlike the others, he was wearing worn but clean

dark brown trousers and a tan shirt with frayed cuffs under a faded blue jumper. His hair was neatly combed, and his face and hands bore evidence of having been recently washed and scrubbed. Despite his humble posture, the young man's eyes wore a quick, intelligent expression. This was Ahmed, the Englishman's assistant and interpretor.

It was he who bore the worker's fears and concerns to the professor, while Havensworth was busy examining some finds in his tent. When the professor ignored him, Ahmed walked away, shaking his head in dismay. In the end, he had one of the men go and get someone in authority to come here. And just got sacked for his trouble.

"Get back to work you lot! I'm not paying you to lark about, gawking at a hole in the dirt!" Havenworth berated the workers, waving his arms about ineffectually.

Behind him, came the tall man with his guards. Ignoring the professor, the man began to shout at the workers. He indicated with his hand that they should go. Spinning on his heels, Havensworth couldn't understand a word the head man of the area was saying, but the man's gestures spoke volumes. 

"What? Now hold on, old chap. You can't... What do you think you're doing? No! Don't do that!" He hurried up to the man, but the two guards warily kept him at bay.

Havensworth stared in disbelief. He pointed at himself. "Me. In. Charge. You understand, yes?"

The man's face was unreadable, his posture implacable. He said or did nothing to indicate he'd even heard Havensworth. He simply stood unmoved, watching the workers file out of the work site.

Without his young interrupter, Havensworth was at a loss. He stood before the worker's leader, gesticulating and pronouncing his words as if he were speaking to a wee child, or an idiot

"Men..." The professor pointed towards the workers, who were putting down their tools, relief clearly showing on their faces, "no go! Men stay! They work. Get money. Feed their families. Yes?"

But, the man he so disrespectfully addressed was no child. Nor was he an idiot. He knew of the evil thing which lay beneath the sands of Aznac. Now, so did all of the workers. And they wisely wanted no part of it.

Professor Havensworth knew something very special and mysterious awaited his discovery here. But, he didn't believe for a second that it was anything dangerous. At least, not to him. To his staid mind, the most mordacious things on the site were scorpions and vipers. But he was wrong. Very wrong. Something was waiting, down in that crack in the earth. Something which had lain dormant for three thousand years. Disturbed by the digging, it was awakening. And it was hungry.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"Donna?" The Doctor began quietly and calmly. "You know what I think?" 

"No, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me to..." She replied, heaving a martyred sigh.

"I think now would be a really good time to...RUN!"

Shouting the last word, the Doctor grabbed his friend by the hand and fled down the damp, dimly lit concrete tunnel. Behind them came charging a large green, multi-legged worm. With dozens of needle sharp teeth showing from its gaping mouth. It hissed like a snake as its twenty little legs sought to catch up with the two time travelers. The worm suddenly let out a long pig-like squeal.

"What did it just say?" Donna asked. "I couldn't quite make it out."

"Nothing important!" Shouted the Doctor.

"Don't give me that! I heard it mention my name. What did it say?" Donna demanded.

"Well, Donna...it's hard to put it in human terms, but erm—I'm afraid it translates into something rather dirty. About you. The TARDIS doesn't like to translate bad language. If you ask me, I think she's a bit of an old prude, sometimes."

Donna surreptitiously put her free hand behind her back and gave the worm a two-fingered salute. Apparently, that didn't need the TARDIS' translation circuits to get its point across, because the creature let out another infuriated squeal.

"Donna..." The Doctor asked apprehensively, looking at her sideways. "Did you just do something?"

"Er—no." Donna fibbed. "Why?"

"Cos' he just made an very unpleasant comment about your mother. Although, can't say I entirely disagree with him..."

"Oy! Watch it, spaceman!" She scolded, slapping him in the arm.

"Ow! Sorry."

She heard the creature getting closer. Then Donna thought of something. "Hang on, Doctor. I thought you said these Quirm were supposed to be big on courtesy and etiquette?"

"Yes, yes I did. I also said that the Quirm's are very sensitive creatures. You'll note the use of the word _very_, Donna. As in_ very important that you don't upset them by making impolite comments about their tastes in décor_. In particular, the bespoke furnishings and modern art in the Lord Mayor's official chambers." The Doctor panted, his long, brown trousered legs and scruffy white booted feet striving to stay one step ahead of the angry creature. It's teeth nearly caught the edge of the Doctor's long coat, flaring out behind him as he ran.

"All I said was, that chair looked like toilet seat. And that the painting looked like someone smeared poo all over the canvas. Next thing I know, the mayor wants to eat me." Donna retorted indignantly. "That's _not_ what I'd call being sensitive. That's...being... blinking... psychotic!" Donna was beginning to huff from the exertion of running..

"Donna. That painting back there? It'is the Quirm's equivalent to a Hockney or a Warhol." The Doctor explained, speaking to her as if they were discussing art over cappuccinos at Costa Coffee, rather than running from a giant worm down some dank sewer. "'Morning Moods' by Egben Flapbagger, is considered a national treasure. It's worth ten million sqadoodles! Oooh, I do love saying that. _Sqa-doo-dle_. Rolls off the tongue..."

"Ten million what?"

"In earth currency, that's about fifty quid. And you wonder why the mayor got so upset with you?"

"Well, if a politician can't take any criticism..." Donna responded dryly.

They made it back to the TARDIS just in time. Donna was never so glad to see the blue box, with it's windows and "POLICE" sign glowing invitingly in the subdued light of the tunnel. The Doctor, key in hand, unlocked it, and shut the door firmly behind them. Just as the worm slammed into it, sinking its teeth into the wood. The TARDIS rocked slightly as the enormous worm gnashed its teeth on the ship, worrying it like a dog with a bone.

"You're right about one thing, though." The Doctor said, as he trotted over to the main console, Donna following. They both staggered and had to grab on to a hand rail, as the worm gave the TARDIS another angry shake.

"What's that, then?" Donna asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"That chair really did look like a toilet seat." The Doctor grinned up at her, as he bustled about.

Concentrating on the console, his hands busily punched buttons, turned dials and flipped switches.

"We can't take off with that Quirm attached to the ship!' The Doctor shouted.

"Why? What would happen?" Donna shouted back, hanging on to a hand rail for dear life, as the TARDIS shook and vibrated around her. "Will the universe implode or something?"

"What makes you think that?" Came the Doctor's puzzled answer.

The Doctor staggered over to the monitor screen, which began flashing the intricate geometric circles which was traditional old high Galifreyan script. Reading it, he continued, "I mean, technically we could go into flight, but it would send the Quirm's Lord Mayor spinning off into the time vortex. Very messy business. Though to be quite honest, I don't think anyone would even notice he was gone. According to the _Daily Sticky-Note_, he's a notorious jobsworth. Still, I suppose someone might miss him. Wouldn't want to spark off an intergalactic incident, would we?"

"Yeah. I...suppose." Donna nodded, though her face showed that she really wasn't sure what he was on about. She had that face a lot, since she met the Doctor. "But, what are you going to do? We can't just stay here in some outer space sewer forever!"

"I'm going to do... this!" Giving her a proud, boyish grin, the Doctor reached over with a flourish and flipped a switch.

The control room lights dimmed briefly, as the Quirm gave a high pitched squeal. The shaking stopped, and on the monitor screen, they could see it running away back towards its office.

"Ooh, dear! I'm afraid the Lord Mayor just said something terribly rude again. I'm so sorry about that." The Doctor murmured apologetically, giving the console an affectionate pat.

"No problem. Didn't understand a word." Donna said, standing behind him now. "I've probably heard worse down to the pub on football night."

"I was talking to the TARDIS, Donna."

"Oh. OK." She nodded, as if she knew that all along. "So how did you get rid of him?"

"I just...what? WHAT! You're not supposed to do that...Whoa!"

The Doctor didn't get to finish his sentence, as the TARDIS' central column abruptly lit up, it's green glow making the Doctor's face look sickly. With a sudden grating noise the transparent column began to rhythmically wheeze up and down. The ship gave a great lurch, causing Donna to fall against the Doctor's back, and the Doctor to fall down on his bum, sending Donna sprawling on her back across the metal grating of the control deck.

"She's in flight!" An astonished Doctor gasped, as he heaved himself up off the floor and jumped to the controls. Running his fingers through his already disheveled hair, he stared at the console in disbelief. "What's she playing at?"

"Yes, Doctor. I did sort of notice that. From down here. _On the floor_." Donna said sarcastically.

"Sorry, Donna." He apologized, helping her up off the floor. "You alright?"

"Cheers. I'm fine, yeah. What's going on?"

"Dunno'. We seem to be going backwards in time, though." The Doctor shrugged.

"So where's the ship taking us?" She peered suspiciously at the TARDIS console.

"I haven't the foggiest." The Doctor said wryly, as he dashed about the console. As suddenly as it started, the central column ground to a halt, and the TARDIS landed with a final thump. "But," he grinned, looking up at her, "I've a feeling we're about to find out."

The TARDIS door creaked open and the Doctor stepped cautiously outside. Donna followed. All the Doctor would tell her was that they seemed to have landed in a desert environment. She'd done a quick change from her jumper and jeans, to a light blue cotton blouse and some khaki coloured trousers. The Doctor's only concession to the weather was to leave the long coat behind.

It was pitch dark and quite chilly. They were in some sort of large tent. Donna hadn't expected that. Shivering and rubbing her arms, she decided that the Doctor may have gotten things a bit wrong again. Knowing him, they'd probably landed in Atilla the Hun's private tent out on the barren steppes somewhere.

Sniffing, Donna noted that there was a strange smell of roasting meat in the air. But not like any meat that was familiar to her. The Doctor was frowning, his expression suddenly wary. That wasn't a good sign. She watched as he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small, powerful torch. The light's narrow beam penetrated every corner of the tent, as the Doctor waved it around. OK, Donna admitted, not Canada then. Not unless they were doing some sort of remake of Lawrence of Arabia. Then the torch's beam landed on something piled on the floor beside an overturned desk and chair. To her, it appeared at first like nothing more than a discarded pile of rags. Then Donna realized what she was looking at.

"Oh my God!" she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth.

"Don't look, Donna." The Doctor said softly, as he gently but firmly turned her away from the grisly sight.

It was what was left of a man. Now merely a heap of charred flesh and bones. The corpse looked as if it had once been wearing a long robe and head scarf. Only the fabric was ripped to shreds, where it hadn't been completely burned away. Further along were two more burnt and mangled bodies, their blackened skeletal fingers still clutching enormous curved swords.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"Hands up, both of you!" Commanded a clipped Englishman's voice from behind them.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Donna." The Doctor said cheerfully, as he and Donna froze in place.

"I am armed and have you both at point-blank range. So don't try any funny moves.".

"Oh now, how dull is that?" The Doctor whinged. "I like making funny moves. Life of the party, me. For instance, you should have seen some of the dance moves Cleopatra taught me. Blimey! Let me tell you, she may have been beautiful, but when it came to dancing she had two left feet. In fact, my toes hurt just thinking about it.." He said. "And then," the Doctor reminisced, tilting his head and tugging on his ear, "there was this belly dancer from Marrakesh, who once taught me some very funny moves while playing Twister at Madonna's birthday party."

"Name dropper!" Donna whispered, nudging him with her elbow.

Suddenly, there was the loud click of a pair of shotgun triggers being pulled back.

"Or, I can just shut up and stand here with my hands in the air, while you decide whether or not to shoot two perfectly innocent strangers in the back." The Doctor said dryly.

After a moment's pause, the man behind them said, "Step outside. I want to see whom I am addressing, sir. And you as well, madam."

"Are you calling me a madame? Do I look like a prostitute to you?" Donna exclaimed indignantly.

"Donna...let's play nice with the lovely gentleman. That would be the man with the gun pointed at our backs, in case you hadn't noticed." The Doctor warned her.

"Enough chit-chat. Outside! Now! Both of you." The man ordered.

In the fading light of the evening, Donna and the Doctor saw their antagonist for the first time. To Donna, he looked like the sort of English gentleman she'd always pictured collecting stamps or teaching Latin at university.

"What were you two doing in my tent?"

"We only just got here. Shouldn't you have asked that question before you threatened to murder us? Like some common thug?" Donna said loudly. She was suddenly feeling quite peeved with this arrogant little man. "I mean, for all we know, _you_ could could be a cold-blooded killer. You certainly act like one, mate! Or, maybe you're one of those lowlife's who like threatening unarmed women?

"You're hardly unarmed, Donna." The Doctor muttered.

"What?" She asked.

"You've got two arms and a very loud mouth." He whispered. "_Don't_. Antagonize him. Let me do the talking."

"I have no intention of murdering anyone, my good woman." The professor said, suddenly affronted. "He lowered the shotgun and actually gave Donna a slight bow. "Forgive me, madam. I must apologize for my overly aggressive behavior. But as you could see from those remains in the tent, one can't be too careful. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Havensworth. In charge of this archaeological dig. I'm afraid you and your husband happened on this site at a very...inconvenient time."

"Ah no," they said together, pointing to each other, "we're not married."

"Oh. I see. You are cousins, then? But you really shouldn't escort a lady alone out here, unarmed, Doctor. Where is the rest of your party?"

"Ahh-" The Doctor said, trying to think on his feet and stumbling slightly, "we had to leave them behind...er—bit of camel trouble. On the uh—camelway. You know how hard it is to get the erm—camel club to come out here. In the middle of the desert and...all that."

"That's some piece of hardware you have there, professor." Donna said, quickly steering away from that subject by pointing at the gun. .

"My trusty Purdy. Never travel anywhere without it. There's some good hunting to be had in these parts." He said, patting the gun's barrel like a proud parent. "It belonged to my father. He was the local vicar. Went on to be an assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury for fifteen years. Very popular. Had a number of his sermons published in the press. He was not only famous for his words, though. He was also one of the best shots in the Lake District. Taught me everything I know!

"Like killing things, do you lot? How does that go along with the Ten Commandments, then?" Donna said scornfully.

"Sorry? What do you mean, Miss Donna? I'm afraid I don't follow you."

"Erm—professor, possibly Donna's referring to the part in the bible about _'thou shalt not kill_.'" The Doctor interjected softly. Standing behind the professor's back, he flashed a fond smile at his friend. Leave it to Donna to go right to the heart of the matter.

"There is nothing wrong with hunting, my good woman." The professor said, seemingly taken aback by her attitude. "I'll have you know I've been privileged to go on shooting weekends with the king, on several occasions. May I remind you that the royals are very fond of their blood sports. I hardly think that the good lord intended to mean animals_, _let alone our _sovereign_,when dictated his wishes to Moses."

Donna had to use all her self control not to laugh when the professor told her that. She glanced at the Doctor. He raised an eyebrow at her and winked.

"So, you don't hunt for food, then?" Donna asked skeptically. "You're like, one of these macho blokes? The one's who like to decorate their lounge walls with dead animals. Just to show how virile and manly they are."

"I do beg your pardon?" The professor asked, clearly both perplexed and somewhat affronted by her forwardness.

"I think Donna objects to killing as a hobby. I mean, slaughtering an animal for food, that's one thing, professor. Killing solely for pleasure or ego, that's a whole other game of cricket." The Doctor told him. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's not very cricket at all."

"Ah. I see. Pacifist, are you Doctor?" The professor nodded, breaking open the gun and carrying it in the crook of his arm. Fumbling in his trouser pocket, he pulled out a pipe. "There were mobs of you lot around, after the war. Never made it over there myself, unfortunately. Served here at home. As a clerk for an Admiral." He said, taking out a tobacco pouch and filling his pipe, "I did lose a lot of good friends to the Huns. Lads I went to school with. Shame, that. Did you fight, sir?"

"I've been to war. I've killed. Too many...far, far too many. And I'd die happy if I never had to do it again." The Doctor spoke sadly. "But, I can't say I've ever found killing anyone or anything, pleasurable. Not even a Dalek."

"Dastardly business, the war in France." The professor nodded, lighting his pipe. He didn't seem to register the Doctor's comments at all. "Shame it made a few of you lads feel squeamish about guns, afterwards. Still, you didn't shirk. No white feathers on you. You did your duty for Queen and country. That's what really counts I suppose. And if that Hitler fellow has his way, the lads may be back at it again, I fear." He took a long, pensive draw on his pipe. "Word is, he's already begun his invasion of France. More bombs. More killing. But, such is the price we all pay for freedom, alas."

"Yeah. And it's always the vulnerable and the innocent who pay the most, in the end. But, speaking of killing, what happened in the tent back there?" The Doctor asked, deciding that the conversation needed to be more productive.

"Bah! Superstitious natives!" The professor snorted, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Got wind of some wild rumours about the dead coming back to life. Or some tommy rot like that, anyway. Decided to use it as an excuse to knock off work and go rioting. Well," he shrugged, "you know what those people are like. Apparently, their local chief or warlord or whatever he was, got in the way. No big loss, really. Only, now I haven't anyone here to clear away the mess."

"You do realize professor," Donna said conversationally, "that if you keep opening your mouth, people _will_ eventually find out how ignorant you are?"

"Anyway..." the Doctor said abruptly, rubbing his nose with his finger. He hoping that the professor was too obtuse to register Donna's comment. "What I'd like to know is, what's at the bottom of that hole over there. The one by the wall. That doesn't look like an excavation to me. What happened?"

"Oh, just ordinary subsidence, I reckon. One of the workers fell through when it opened up." The professor shrugged. "Nothing to worry about. But, you can't tell them that, can you? Interrupted the entire dig! Now what am I to do? I ask you, is it not vexing sir, to happen on something as exciting as a possible new discovery, only to have to everything grind to a halt because of one man's death? You see," the professor said confidentially, leaning forwards and speaking with a conspiratorial whisper, "I believe that there is probably a hidden burial chamber under there. Possibly that of a great king! An even greater find than Tutankhamen!"

"Sounds like quite a find, alright. But, something tells me that whomever, or whatever, killed those men, it wasn't tomb robbers, professor." The Doctor said pensively, staring at the hole, which was now barely discernible in the gathering gloom of the desert night. "So tell me." He turned to stare the man in the eye. "What else are you looking for?"

"I haven't told a soul this, until now. But if I'm right Doctor," The professor said eagerly, " I believe there's something buried within that tomb that could change the whole course of human history."

"I see." The Doctor's head jerked up at that last bit of information, and his face became very grave. "And you don't connect that with those two dead bodies in the tent?" He asked tensely. "And the third one down in that hole? You know, I think maybe it's time you and I had a nice little chat, professor."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

The night was still. The only sounds that of the rustling of palm fronds in the cool breeze, and the distant barking of a dog. On the rooftop of Professor Havensworth's residence in a nearby town, the Doctor and Donna were seated in comfortable chairs. The three of them were relaxing after a light meal of cold roast chicken, sliced melon and warm flat bread. After pouring small cups of thick, black Turkish coffee for them, the professor lit his pipe and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm sorry you had to come upon my dig at such a time, Doctor. I should have liked to have shown you around. You seem to have quite an extensive knowledge of the history of the Old Kingdom."

"Oh you know," the Doctor said modestly, taking a sip of coffee, "I get around. Been there, done that, got the white linen kilt to prove it. And I have to say," he said confidingly, "they may have been the hippest kit to wear back then, but one's backsides could get quite drafty, on nights like this. That's why I prefer trousers. I do dislike a bit of a breeze going up my bum, me."

"Yes. Erm—quite." Was all the professor could say. He raised his eyebrows and secretly wondered if the Doctor had been smoking the wrong kind of hookah.

"Although, I'll tell you, what I _really_ dislike professor," the Doctor continued, setting his cup down and leaning forward earnestly, "is some individual arbitrarily deciding to circumvent the natural progression of humanity. So tell me. What did you mean, when you said that there's something down in that burial chamber, which could change the course of human history?"

After a long hesitation, the professor said, "Let me show you something."

Professor Havensworth went downstairs to his study, leaving the Doctor and Donna alone on the rooftop. Sipping his coffee, the Doctor stared pensively at the stars overhead.

"Why do I get the feeling there may be more than just a mummy down in that burial chamber?" Donna commented.

"Yeah." He replied cheekily. "Could be dad and the kids down there, as well."

"Oh, here we go. Just what the world needs. A Time Lord moonlighting as a stand-up comic. All I have to say is, don't give up your day job. But, seriously, Doctor. Those dead bodies in the tent...that was horrible. It didn't look like anything I'd ever seen before." She gave an involuntary shudder, her recent meal suddenly turning sour in her stomach at the memory. "Not even in one of those gory slasher films the Americans are so fond of. What do you think could've done that?"

"I dunno'. Wish I did. Then, if it's bad, I could just go in and put a stop to it. Whatever _it _is." He sighed, pouring out the cold dregs of his cup into a nearby potted plant. He sat quietly, simply holding the cup, absently turning it in his hands.

After a moment's pause, Donna said sympathetically, "Somehow, things are never that simple, are they?"

The Doctor looked at her, his eyes grave. "No. They rarely are. Still," He mused, "the universe would be incredibly dull and meaningless, if everythingin life came easy. But you're right, Donna. They didn't die from any sort of weapon found here on Earth. At least, not in this time period."

"Sorry I took so long, but I thought you might be interested in seeing this, Doctor." Professor Havensworth called out, walking up to the Doctor gingerly carrying a small gold and cedar wood box in his hand.

"I probably needn't ask you to be careful handling this scroll. As you'll see for yourself, it's thousands of years old. Written by the personal scribe of Pharaoh himself. It's priceless." He said, handing the box to the Doctor. "Not only for its age and rarity, but for the contents within the letter."

Opening the box, the Doctor carefully lifted out a brittle piece of rolled papyrus. Slowly unrolling it, the Doctor silently studied the hieroglyphics on the paper, before reading out loud to Donna. She'd gotten up to see what was in the box. Crouched down beside the Doctor, she looked on, fascinated, as he translated the scroll out loud for her:

"I the king, the son of Re, praise Re the creator at sunrise. I bless his coming." The Doctor spoke solemnly, "_I have witnessed him open the primordial egg and climb the golden stairway to his home in heaven. The eastern souls all sing acclamations to Re. He sails away on the sky. There he can see every town and person which are all part of God's land. From his body beams the the light of the world. He is seen in the flood and the drought. He hears the voices of his crew as they drag the bark of the Horizon Dweller through the Netherworld..._and so on and so forth. All praise to Re, yadda, yadda yadda."

The Doctor then deliberately skipped over the strictly religious parts, which took up most of the scroll. Professor Havensworth frowned at the Doctor's irreverence. The Doctor didn't notice. His eyes swiftly scanned down the page, until he got to the heart of the letter:

" Here we go. That's more like it_." _The Doctor muttered to himself. Out loud, heread: _"I the king know the secrets of Re. Re is my joy and strength and goodness. I have heard his speech which only is only for my ears. For he has imparted to me a great gift. Re has given me a talisman his of everlasting power, so that I might prevent unbelievers from desecrating his temples. With Re's magic amulet of burning gold, I will one day conquer the whole of the world in God's name. The searing flame of Re shall be mine and we shall be as one. My name shall dwell in heaven beside God. My double crown will rule over all of heaven and the mortal world. I am a king whose speaking is acting. By these actions I will live forever. With this amulet I shall use my hand and my heart to this the greatest of tasks. The world will be as one with God. Only God shall possess gold, which is his by right. I the king shall be the keeper of Re's gold. All who refuse tribute will perish by the power of Re. For to reject God is evil. All those with evil hearts shall be punished with God's amulet. They will burn in the heart of Re, until not one flake of ash remains to mark their existence..."_

"Not a very inspiring religion, was it? '_Worship me or die_'." An unimpressed Donna said, shaking her head. "If you ask me, no matter what the time period, religious extremists are always completely bonkers."

"Yet, it worked. For a while, anyway." The professor shrugged. "Pharaoh used the threat of the burning amulet to convert all of Egypt to the worship of Re. For the duration of Pharaoh's reign, all of the other gods; Osiris, Sutekh, Horus, Amen and the rest, were shunted aside. To worship any other god than Re, would mean a terrible death. Not only for you, but for every member of your family lineage. However, that wasn't the only threat posed by the king. One of Pharaoh's contemporaries wrote that the amulet contained the power to destroy an entire army in less time than than it takes to draw a breath. That it could burn whole kingdoms in a single heart beat. With a threat like that, the people had no choice but to worship Re."

"Sounds a lot like a shotgun wedding, if you ask me." Donna commented. "What about this Pharaoh? If he's buried in a tomb, obviously he didn't live forever. What happened?"

"The priests of other religions weren't pleased at this sudden loss of their power." The Doctor explained. "You see, Donna in Ancient Egypt, to be a priest, especially a high priest, was often to be the most powerful and wealthy man in your town or village. Like an A-list celebrity. Or, maybe more like a Big Brother contestant." He shrugged. "Either way, everyone wanted a piece of you. Then, along comes the king and his edict. It's as if one minute you were a Donald Trump or Richard Branson. Then, without warning, you're sacked and replaced by priests handpicked by Pharaoh. And then, just to add to your misery, the government has taken away your of your gold to give to Re. Suddenly, you're just another unemployed bloke, standing in the benefits queue. No one wants to know you.."

"What did these priests do, then? Rise up and kill Pharaoh?" Donna asked.

"No, they signed a petition. Wrote letters. Staged a few protest marches. Chanted stuff like '_Down With Re!_." The Doctor said dryly, with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Now you're just taking the mickey!" Donna laughed, giving the Doctor a playful slap on the arm.

The professor frowned at the Doctor and Donna's irreverence. "No one really knows how he died, Donna." He told her seriously. "The ancient stories say that one of the other gods became angry with Pharaoh, and came down from the stars to punish him. This god took all of Pharaoh's golden hoard and turned it to silver. Then, this unnamed god turned turned the king into a silver statue, for good measure. However, most contemporary historians assume that one of the displaced priests had bribed someone in the royal residence to assassinate Pharaoh."

"That's all very interesting professor, but..." The Doctor began to say.

Without warning, a commotion began down below. Somewhere from within the house came excited shouts and curses. Feet came pounding up the stairs to the roof, followed by more shouting. Onto the rooftop burst a young man in a badly fitting suit. It was Ahmed, the professor's former interpretor. His hair disheveled and his eyes wild, Ahmed flung himself down at Professor Havensworth's feet.

"Forgive me, professor!" He said breathlessly. "But I had to see you. I do not exaggerate when I tell you that it is a matter of life and death. Please, sir. I beg you. You must hear what I have to say."

"Of all the arrogant..." The professor said, leaping up from his chair, his face clouded with anger. "How dare you barge in here, Ahmed! What's the meaning of this?"

"The amulet, professor! You must leave it where it is. You must not go into that tomb. Do do so, would bring death upon us all."

"What's he on about?" Donna asked the professor.

"It was later written, after Pharaoh's death, that before he died, the king hid the magic burning amulet. And that one day, it would be found again, and the power of Re would save the world."

"No, you do not understand! Don't be a fool, professor. That amulet will destroy the world!" Ahmed shouted in dismay.

"You stupid savage! I told you to keep away from me!" Professor Havensworth snorted, kicking Ahmed in the side.

"Oy! Leave him alone! Or I'll kick _you_ in a moment, sunshine." Donna yelled. "And trust me, I know just where to aim." She quickly helped the young man to his feet.

"Are you alright?" She asked the shaken Ahmed.

"I'll ask you to keep out of this, Miss Noble." The professor growled, his face abruptly grimaced with an almost fanatical anger.

"Donna..." The Doctor began to warn her, seeing the professor's hand reaching into his pocket. But, he was too late.

Professor Havensworth yanked a pistol out from his jacket and pointed at Ahmed. The hammer clicked back.

"Professor, you must leave the amulet where it is. Or find a way to destroy it. It was never meant for mortal hands." Ahmed said.

"You're the fool, Ahmed. You and the rest of your lot. Can't you see? If this Hitler chap takes on all of Europe, then England will be next in his sights. I can't let that happen. If Re's amulet is real, it has the power to destroy our enemies." His finger tightened on the trigger.

"No, you don't!" Donna said abruptly, pushing Ahmed out of the way.

"Donna!" A horrified Doctor shouted, leaping towards the professor's outstretched arm.

It was too late. The Gun went a split second before the Doctor tackled Havensworth. Donna and Ahmed both cried out. Then, there was silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

The Doctor crashed into Professor Havensworth and they both tripped over a chair. The Doctor was flung away from the professor. He spared a split second to cast a quick, anxious glance in Donna's direction. She was sprawled out, motionless, on top of Ahmed. He wasn't moving, either.

"Donna?" The Doctor called out to her. "Donna, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

There was no answer. The Doctor's hearts raced with fear. He couldn't tell from where he lay on the floor, whether she was breathing or not.

Meanwhile, the professor had regained his feet. And, he'd managed to recover his fallen gun. The Doctor started to get up, as well. He found that Havensworth was standing over him. He was pointing his revolver on the Doctor's head. The Doctor cautiously stayed where he was. Yet, his eyes never left Donna's prone figure.

"Don't move, Doctor. I like you and I don't want to shoot you. However, I will do just that. If you leave me no choice." A pale faced professor said. His finger was pressed against the trigger, his hand trembling slightly.

"Professor, let me see to Donna. She may be hurt. She's innocent. She has nothing to do with this, and you know it." The Doctor said tightly, in the low, calm voice he always used when dealing with mad men.

"I'm sorry, but I must ask you to remain where you are. It is a sad fact of these troubled times, I'm afraid. Sometimes innocents have to die, in order to preserve the British Empire and our homeland. I've a terrible premonition, Doctor. I believe that the day is soon approaching when our nation shall be in dire need of Re's amulet. Oh yes, I believe it does indeed exist. It can keep us free from Fascist tyranny, and save us from yet another terrible war. And if that means ending a few inconsequential lives, then so be it."

"Oh yeah? And who died and left you in charge of the world, professor dolally?" Piped up an indignant Donna, all of the sudden. "'_Inconsequential'_ my ar-"

"...are you going to get off of me now, miss?" Ahmed politely asked her.

"Oh. Sorry."

Donna rolled herself off of Ahmed, and they slowly got up from the floor. Both were warily eyeing Havensworth and his pistol.

"There ya' go! Now that's the Donna I know and...er—am really very fond of." Beamed the Doctor, hugely relieved that she was apparently unharmed. "Are you alright?" He asked kindly.

"Yeah, thanks. What's a few bruises between friends? Eh, Ahmed?" She smiled at the Doctor, then at the young man, before turning a flinty gaze on Havensworth. "As for you. I've a good mind to take that gun away from you and shove it right up your..."

"Professor, please! Ahmed suddenly pleaded. "Do not hurt the lady and gentleman because of me."

"Then step aside so I can shoot you properly, you wretched cur." The professor snarled, extending his gun arm out towards Ahmed. "I've spent half my life searching for Pharaoh's tomb. Over twenty year's work went into that dig, you idiot. And in one afternoon, you've nearly ruined everything. Tell me why I shouldn't shoot you right now?"

"Because you'll have to shoot me, first." Donna defiantly stepped in front of Ahmed. "Tell you what?" She added sarcastically, "I'll even make it easier for you. I'll turn my back."

"If you think I won't shoot you too, Miss Noble..."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." The Doctor said. As he spoke, a coffee cup suddenly flew through the air.

The small cup smashed hard into the back of the professor's gun hand, the porcelain instantly breaking into shards as it landed on the floor. The professor cried out in surprise. He automatically clutched his sore hand, dropping the gun. A quick thinking Donna swiftly scooped it up, flinging the pistol over the edge of the roof.

The Doctor swiftly got up from the floor and strode over to her, clearly upset with the close call she almost had.

"You know Donna, sometimes think I like you better as a nag, than a martyr." A cross Doctor told her. "Nine hundred and six, and not a single gray hair. But if you keep doing things like that, I'm gonna' look like a grandfather again." Then, he grinned down at Donna proudly. Winking at her, his hand gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You did good, though."

"Learned from the best, didn't I?." She said, smiling back at him and giving him a friendly nudge with her elbow. Abruptly, she frowned. "A _nag_?"

"Well..." The Doctor left it hanging there. He gave a shrug, rubbing his face with his hand and wondering why he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut, sometimes.

"Ahmed." The Doctor said. "Is there somewhere we can go and talk?"

"My mother's home is just down the street, sir." He said. "You and your lady friend will be most welcome there." Ahmed turned to Donna. He bowed to her. "I cannot thank you enough, miss. You are very brave. You've saved my life twice in one night. If there is anything I might do for you, you only have to ask."

"Just you be careful." Donna said. "Maybe you should stay away from professor dingbat from now on, yeah?"

"Donna, go with Ahmed. Find out what you can about this amulet thing."

"What are you gonna' do, Doctor?" Donna asked. Though she reckoned she already knew the answer.

"I think I should take a closer look at that tomb. What do you say, professor? I know it's late, but what about a little field trip? I'll even spring for the packed lunch."

There was no answer. The three of them turned around, only to find that Professor Havensworth had gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Leaving Donna in the care of Ahmed, the Doctor instructed him to fill her in with whatever details he could, about the story of Pharaoh's amulet. He was then to bring her round to the archaeological site in the morning. Meanwhile, the Doctor strode off into the night, seeking transport back out to the dig. Eventually after numerous inquiries, the Doctor finally found someone who would lend him a camel.

Thankfully, at the finish of haggling with the camel's owner, he didn't have to part with his sonic screwdriver or psychic paper. But, the Doctor ended up virtually emptying his pockets.

Frowning deeply, he sighed with resignation. One by one, the Doctor begrudgingly handed over two sticking plasters, a virtual post card from Majorca Minor, his lucky yo-yo, a ball of twine, his stethoscope, a can of Tizer, a deflated whoopee cushion, his honourary marshall's badge from Dodge City, a Biro, his Venusian toothbrush, a Spiderman comic, a cat nun's flea collar, a harmonica borrowed from Bob Dylan he'd forgot to return, several paper clips, a cocktail umbrella, his Best of the Beatles 8-track tape, a Haddronian chess piece, a battered pamphlet promoting deep sea gardening and a half-melted Kit-Kat bar.

With a big gap-toothed grin on his lined, careworn face, the old man in the dusty robes handed over the camel's lead rope. After getting the camel to kneel, the Doctor mounted the saddle in less than graceful fashion. As he swung his leg over, The Doctor felt a few stitches suddenly give way in his trouser bottom. He winced, as his mind suddenly conjured up the image of having to confront a monster in his underpants. Thank goodness he stopped going commando five regenerations back.

"I really should remember to wear a sturdy pair of jeans when out camel riding." He muttered crossly, shaking his head.

Swaying with the sea-like motion as the animal lurched to its feet, they set off. The camel groaned in protest at being forced to go out so late. Deciding to call him 'Arthur,' the Doctor gave the beast a friendly pat and some cheerful encouragement.

"Off we go, Arthur. My faithful ship of the desert. Allons'y!"

With a defiant snort, Arthur jerked up his head, pulled back his lips and spat into the air. The Doctor scowled down at the animal.

"OK, are you gonna' pout now?" The camel gave a mournful groan in reply. "Oh, very well." The Doctor rolled his eyes, disappointed at Arthur's decided lack of enthusiasm. "Suit yourself. Only, please don't start asking me if we're there yet. I really hate that."

Time Lord and camel journeyed alone into the desert. As he rode, the Doctor gazed upwards, his alien eyes swiftly adjusting to the darkness. A thick carpet of flickering stars covered the obsidian sky. He used them as a celestial signpost. As the sands whispered their night music across the dunes, the Doctor stared at one particular star formation. It pointed the way towards whatever fate awaited him, at the site of Pharaoh's tomb.

Ahmed nervously lead the way through the town's back streets. Ducking into shadows and dashing past doorways, the young man finally slowed as they neared a small single story mud brick home.

"Why all the cloak and dagger routine?" Donna whispered, as Ahmed hovered near the home's doorway, as if unsure what to do. "Do you think Havensworth will come after you?"

"You must forgive me, Donna. I am a single man. To be alone with a lady—especially at this hour of the night, would not go down well with the men of my village. That is why, when we get inside, I must wake my mother. While we are here, she must accompany you at all times. It would be very bad for both of us, otherwise."

Donna waited while Ahmed woke his mother. A while later, the three of them were seated on cushions on the floor, drinking tea. His mother, a large woman swathed in a dark robe, smiled shyly at Donna when they were introduced. Ahmed had to explain to his mother that Donna's man, the Doctor, had asked him to look after her, while he was away from town. His mum smiled shyly at Donna, and bid her welcome to their home.

At first, with Ahmed serving as translator, they only spoke of polite things; his mum's favourite recipes, gardening and the upcoming wedding of one of the neighbours. But, Donna soon grew anxious about following the Doctor's instructions. Though it had occurred to her that he'd probably only wanted her out of the way, so he could go off and explore on his own.

But, when she began speaking to Ahmed about the amulet of Re, things changed. It was his mother's violent reaction to the subject, which lead Donna to believe that perhaps there was more to this than even the Doctor had guessed. As Ahmed started to explain the history behind Re's gift to Pharaoh, his mother let out an frightened cry and began fiercely scolding him.

"What's the matter with her?" Donna asked Ahmed, raising her eyebrows. "You're not like, getting a time out in the naughty chair or something, are you?"

"It's the ancient curse of Pharaoh. All the people here live in terror of it."

"A curse? Seriously? You lot don't actually believe all that nonsense! Dead mummies walking around, killing everyone? I mean, how fast can a tightly wrapped dead body chase you, anyway? You'd probably outrun it with a brisk walk." Donna said tactlessly.

"The legend says that the land will be laid to ashes, so that nothing shall live there ever again, should anyone attempt to remove the amulet of Re from the tomb. The people of my village have both believed in, and feared this curse, for thousands of years, Donna."

"But, we've not even developed the atomic bomb yet!"

The what?"

"Er-yeah." Donna said, realizing she'd just made a time traveler's faux paux. "Pretend you didn't hear that. And promise me, Ahmed. Whatever you do, don't ask the Doctor about it. Still, this _is_ the twentieth century. How could anyone believe that some amulet is a weapon of mass destruction?"

His mother suddenly tugged at Ahmed's arm. She began speaking to him rapidly, shaking her head and pointing at Donna.

"Donna, maybe you should go." Ahmed said apologetically rising from the floor, as his mum grew more and more agitated. "I am very sorry. This must seem most inhospitable to you. You see, the house belongs to my mother. I have no choice but to obey her. She says it is too dangerous to have you here. That you must leave. Now. You can spend the night in the tool shed. It's right behind the house, so I won't be far away. It's past midnight, and dawn comes swiftly here. I will take you back to Havensworth's dig at first light. I promise."

Giving Donna his hand, he helped her up. Showing her the door, he lent Donna a kerosene lantern to light her way, and told her he'd see her later. After his mother had gone to bed, Ahmed went out to the shed. He brought with him a warm camel hair blanket. The building was empty. Suddenly afraid, he dropped the blanket and ran out of the shed calling Donna's name. But, there was no sign of her, and no answer. Donna was gone.

Holding up the lantern so he could examine the ground, he looked for her footprints. There they were heading into the shed—but so was someone else's. A man's shoe. It wasn't a sandal, more like a boot print. Ahmed gasped. Havensworth! It had to be. No one else in the town wore boots like that.

The two sets of footprints came out of the shed and Ahmed followed them. They lead off into the desert, where the shifting sands made it hard to make out any clear impressions in the dark. The young man clenched his hand to his head and groaned in despair. He'd lost her! Donna was now in the hands of a madman.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

The Doctor reined in Arthur behind the crumbling wall of the ancient temple. He was just sliding out of the saddle, when his ears picked up an almost imperceptible slithering sound from within the walls. Holding his body as still as possible, he slowly moved his arm towards the camel's head. Arthur shuddered and was about to let out a fearful moan, when the Doctor surreptitiously slid his hand over the animal's muzzle.

Whatever the thing was, it was drawing nearer to the wall where the Doctor was standing. Something was whispering in the dark. Dragging itself along the ground. Those weren't human footsteps, thought the Doctor. At least, not a living human.

Though the noise was constant, the Doctor could not clearly make out the words. It seemed like a cross between some sort of religious chant, and the sound of sands sifting over desert dunes.

Unexpectedly, a man called out from somewhere near the main entrance to the temple complex. The suddenness of it made both the Doctor and Arthur jump.

"Havensworth? Is that you, old chap?" A stern voice shouted impatiently. The Doctor saw the brief, yellowish glare of a torch being swept across the temple's sandstone columns."I've been out here in this godforsaken backwater half the night. Looking for you! They said in town that you were here. It's me! Sir Edward! Havensworth? Can you hear me?"

Using the distraction to cover his own actions, the Doctor slapped Arthur on the rump. Not missing the hint, the camel went pacing swiftly back towards town. It wisely didn't look back. Taking a chance on not being noticed, the Doctor stood on a discarded block of stone and peered over a low portion of the wall. He saw where a distinguished looking old man was stood just inside the entrance of the temple. The man was there under the pale desert moon, waving his torch about, looking very angry.

He was immaculately attired in a crisp white shirt, school tie, tweed jacket, jodhpurs, tall brown riding boots and, incongruously, a pith helmet. The old man was presently shining his torch on one particular column in the temple's courtyard. He stared intently at it. Oddly, the torch beam didn't illuminate part of the shadow from the column, which the moonlight cast on the sandy floor. It was as if that patch of darkness was completely absorbing the light.

"What the blazes is going on? Now look. It's been a long journey, and I'm far too tired for this nonsense." The elderly man grumbled. "Why are you are whispering that gibberish? Speak up, man! The university didn't send me all the way out here to play some childish party game. One of the members of my club told me you'd gone a bit doo-lally. I'm beginning to think he may have been right. I'm not in the least bit amused by this, Professor. I got you your funding for this dig. I can just as easily take it away. Havensworth? D'you hear me—what the? You're not the professor. Who the hell are you? Stay back! I'm warning you, I'm armed."

The Doctor became aware that the strange, whispering chant had ceased. In sharp contrast to Sir Edward's loud complaints, the temple complex was abruptly submerged into an unearthly silence. Strangely, it made an icy chill of unreasoning fear climb up the the Doctor's spine. An experience he seldom had. It held him immobile for a split second. Then, taking a deep breath, he forced down a shudder reflex. Ignoring his feelings, the Doctor pointedly focused his all of his attention on the scene unfolding inside the temple.

"What the—my God! It's him! But...that's impossible! I must be going mad. Sunstroke or something. You can't possibly be real." Just then, Sir Edward's torch winked out. The old man let loose an explosive shriek of pure terror. There were twin muzzle flashes as two gunshots ripped apart the night. "No! No! Please, don—"

The man who called himself Sir Edward never got to speak another word. Not in this world, anyway. The feeble thread of his frightened voice was severed clean. Replaced by a long, hideous scream, as the darkness fell away, lit by a bright flare of crimson light. It was so intense, the Doctor had to shield his eyes. All of the sudden, the light went out. Sir Edward's scream stopped as abruptly as it began. And the night once more hid the world in its Stygian shadows.

Donna was not a happy camper. She'd only been in Ahmed's shed a few minutes, when she'd heard someone outside. Peering through a crack in the door, she'd glimpsed Havensworth skulking about behind the house.

Looking around, the only place she could see worth hiding, was behind a large burlap sack containing seeds. Quickly dousing the light she crouched down, her back against the back wall. Trying not to grunt with the exertion, Donna managed to pull the sack in front of her. Seconds later, Havensworth opened the door to the shed.

Though she remained hidden, Donna still winced involuntarily, as the light of Havensworth's torch passed directly over her head. Breathing a sigh of relief as the man walked back out the door, she decided to follow him. Havensworth was looking for someone or something. And Donna was determined to find out what. If it was Ahmed, she could at least warn the young man. He seemed like a nice boy. It would be a terrible tragedy if the emotionally unbalanced professor hurt him.

A woman's voice called out from within the house It was Ahmed's mother. Then, a light came on. Poking her head though an open window, the woman queried the darkness, probably asking if someone was there. All of the sudden, it occurred to Donna that the TARDIS wasn't automatically translating Arabic into English for her.

That thought fled, however, when she saw the professor's hand slide into his jacket pocket. She was about to yell a warning, when Ahmed shouted something to his mother. The light went out, and the window's wooden shutter abruptly slammed closed.

Following as close as she dared in the darkness, Donna shadowed Havensworth, as he stalked off into the night. Muttering something she couldn't make out, the man walked off into the nearby desert. Presumably heading back to the temple site.

For over an hour, Donna quietly trailed behind Havensworth. He'd been following a narrow dirt road for quite a while. But then suddenly, the man had abruptly veered off into the barren desert. Hoping that all the snakes and scorpions were sleeping, Donna decided to stay with the man.

Now she hurried, trying to close up the gap between them. Desperately she was trying to keep the dark outline of Havensworth's body in sight. But then, as she breathlessly topped yet another sand dune...she gasped in dismay. Havensworth had vanished. Donna looked and listened into the dark. There was nothing to see. And the wind had been slowly picking up, enough so that she couldn't hear anything like footsteps.

Worse still, the moon was setting. She could barely see her hand in front of her face. Before her, as far as she knew, stretched away miles and miles of empty desert. But, Donna wasn't one to give up in despair. Her common sense told her that all she had to do was turn around, and follow her own footsteps back to the road.

Only, she couldn't see her footsteps. The wind had blown the drifting sands over them. There was no longer any trace of even the slightest indentation. "Ah. Not good Donna. Not good at all." She whispered, heaving a sigh dismay. She was lost in the desert. "I know I promised never to swear Doctor, but needs must." Looking at the stars overhead, she said into the night, "Oh, BUGGER me!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Donna winced and cursed under her breath as the wind picked up, whisking sand into her face. She couldn't see a ruddy thing. She suddenly realized she was cold, as well. Winter in the desert wasn't as warm as one would think. In fact, it was getting downright chilly. Shivering, Donna rubbed her arms and squinted into the night. Should she stay where she was until daylight, or try to guess her way back to the road? Yet, she wasn't sure where the road was, any longer. Everything looked the same in the dark.

Suddenly, Donna jumped. Without warning, had come the crack of several shots. They came from somewhere not far off. But, having lost her sense of direction, she couldn't tell where. Then, there was silence.

The wind died down a little, but it was definitely getting colder. She was beginning to feel alone and helpless. Donna took a deep breath and shook herself. She was so not going to go there. Not yet, anyway. It had to be close to dawn by now.

She was tempted to sit down and wait for sunrise, but then had second thoughts. There were creatures other than human, who crawled and roamed over the desert sands at night. Donna's lids drooped. It was stupid o'clock in the morning and she was getting sleepy. And thirsty. Though how she could be thirsty when it was cold and dark, was anyone's guess. She licked her parched lips and sighed. Still, Donna supposed, this was a different way to see Egypt. Free of the jostling mobs of tourists and aggressive souvenir vendors. Certainly, it was far more more interesting than sitting on a bus for hours, only to be lead around like a child by some monotonous guide through countless ruins.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud click from directly behind her. Having become familiar with the sound of a cocked pistol, Donna sighed and automatically raised her arms. This was getting too repetitive for her taste. She waited for whoever it was to shoot her, or order her about, or do something nasty. Standing in the dark with her hands up, she waited...and waited. But, nothing happened.

"Oy! Look mate, I'm freezing my bum off standing here. So either shoot me, or be a gentleman and lend me your jacket. Yeah?" Donna called out to the dark.

Very promptly a jacket was handed over to her. It was the Doctor's. In a flash, Donna put down her hands, whipped around, and there he was. He had a gun in his hand, but the click she'd heard was actually the Doctor unloading the bullets.

"Gah! I hate these things." he remarked, throwing the disarmed pistol over his shoulder. "Found it lying on the sand back there. Our mad Professor must've dropped it. Pretty careless, if you ask me. I suppose seeing a mummy walking around in the dark must've spooked him." He grinned and opened his arms. "Hullo, Donna! Did you miss me?"

"Doctor!" She shouted gladly, rushing towards him. Just before she reached the Doctor though, Donna stopped. Slipping the jacket over her shoulders, she looked at him askance. "Hang on. Did you just say there's a mummy? A real mummy? Walking around? Did you come all the way out here, just to take the mickey? Cos' if you are, spaceman..."

"No, Donna!" The Doctor hurriedly interrupted her. "Of course it wasn't a real mummy. The dead can't walk. Well, not unless they're being possessed by the Gelth..."

"Possessed by the what? Oh, never mind that. So, if it wasn't a mummy, what was it then?"

"It _was_ a mummy...but it wasn't."

"Doctor, it's been a long night. If all you're gonna' do is stand there, stitching me up, I'm going home."

"I mean, Donna, that it was a robot. Made up to look like a mummy. Speaking of which..."

The Doctor was staring at something over Donna's shoulder. She turned, and boggled. There, walking stiffly out of the pre-dawn light, lurched a gigantic mummy! It was nearly twice as tall as the Doctor, with a wide body. Like an Egyptian mummy, it was wrapped head to toe in gray coloured wrappings. The large head was vaguely human-shaped, but with undefined features.

"Oh my God! You were right, Doctor! It's like, I dunno'...something out of one of those old horror films." Donna exclaimed.

"Meh. It's really just a robot in fancy dress." The Doctor shrugged calmly.

"A robot in fancy dress, coming after us." Donna observed, as the thing walked ponderously up the sand dune, reaching its arms out for them.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded. "Right then, Donna. Fancy a quick morning jog across the desert?"

"At the speed that thing walks, we could outrun it crawling on our hands and knees." she snorted.

"Erm—it has more than one speed."

"Oh." Donna gasped out as she ran, glancing over her shoulder. She came face-to-face with one of the more bizarre sights she'd seen so far, in her travels with the Doctor. "That's not good, is it?"

As they sprinted off into the dawn, the robot mummy easily matched their speed, its hefty legs hovering a half-meter above the desert floor. It chased after them, kicking up a spray of sand as went. Its legs kick-glided inches above the dunes, taking almost graceful, ballet-style leaps through the air. Even though the Doctor and Donna had a head start, it was obvious the robot would soon catch up with them.

"What are we gonna' do?" she shouted. "We can't keep this up forever."

"The temple is just over that rise over there. I think if we can-Argh!" The Doctor didn't finish his sentence as his body suddenly slipped beyond sight. Donna shouted in alarm, as a whirling vortex of sand formed in floor the desert. A hungry dark hole, which quickly sucked the Doctor's body down into the earth.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

"Doctor!" Donna shouted, trying in vain to make a grab for him.

Squinting against the sand whipping into her face like a swarm of angry wasps, her hands swiped thin air. The Doctor was gone. Sunk like a stone into that strange desert whirlpool.

A figure loomed in the corner of her vision. Donna involuntarily jerked back, as the robot-mummy's huge feet landed with a heavy thump, less than two meters away. She staggered, nearly falling into the hole. The mummy's arms once again reached out for her. She was trapped between it, and the vicious-looking vortex which had swallowed up the Doctor.

Abruptly, the Doctor's hand shot up through the sand. He was holding the sonic screwdriver. As the tip turned blue, it gave a loud buzz, causing the hissing, dusty vortex to cease. Keeping one eye on the robot, she looked into what was now an open pit in the sand. Donna could see nothing but blackness. She couldn't even see the top of the Doctor's head. Sensing a movement behind her, Donna turned around to see the robot's hands reaching for her throat.

"Oh no you don't!" She growled defiantly at the robot.

"Donna! Come on! Jump!" The Doctor's voice commanded her, muffled by the screaming sand. Scowling, Donna looked down into the pit again, eyeing the dark hole dubiously.

"Doctor, I'm tellin' you right now. If I end up breaking every bone in my body," she grumbled, "I am so gonna' kill you!" Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Donna jumped blindly into the hole.

She promptly landed on something that went "Oompf!" Donna gasped in indignation as a hand groped her bum.

"Oy! Hands!" She shouted, batting the wandering hand away.

"Geth. Oarf. M'lach!" Came the Doctor's strained voice from beneath her.

Donna quickly rolled off of him. "Did you just curse at me in alien?"

"No." He replied tersely, "I never swear. Well, hardly ever. Well...never out loud, anyway. I was only telling you to get off me.

"Oh. Erm—you alight?"

"I'm fine, no worries. Are you OK, Donna?"

"Never better. Only, if you weren't so skinny, I might've had a softer landing."

"You humans! What's this obsession you lot have with body weight?" He whinged, raising an eyebrow.

Dusting himself off and rubbing the sand out of his hair, the Doctor shot her a cheeky grin. _"_Glad you're all in once piece, though._ Death by Donna_. Doesn't quite have the same dramatic ring to it, as '_death by Dalek._"

All of the sudden, sand began to trickle from above them. Brushing more of the grit from his hair, the Doctor backed up and glared up at the hole. Though sunrise was near, a huge bulky form was hovering over the open space, blocking out most of the light.

"Er—I think we might be having some unwanted company. That robot's being used as a beater of sorts. Driving us towards whatever's at the end of that passage, there."

Once again palming his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor used it to light a torch that was hanging on the wall. In seconds, Donna realized that they were in some sort of underground chamber, with a single, dark tunnel at one end.

"You mean, somebody wanted us down here? What for?"

"Call it a hunch, but I've a feeling that this will lead us to an ancient tomb. Quite possibly, the very one Professor Havensworth was so excited about." The Doctor said, heading forward with the torch in his hand. "That hole didn't just open up by itself. It was triggered by a very sophisticated corona positrometer switch. Beautiful workmanship! Not something your average human could get from their local DIY shop. At least, not for another forty thousand years, give or take."

"Alien technology? In an ancient Egyptian tunnel?"

"Yeah, I know." The Doctor said, shrugging as if this were old news to him. Which it was, of course.

"So, some of those crazy theories on the Internet were right? I mean, the one's about the pyramids being build by aliens."

As they walked on, side by side, he suddenly flashed Donna a delighted grin. "Those UFO people aren't the mob of nutters they've been portrayed to be. OK, well, some of them are. Still, Donna. You're experiencing a side of ancient Egypt no tourist will ever see. How hip is that?"

"Uh-huh. Very jazz." A not quite so enthused Donna agreed. "But, if what you say is true, why go to all the trouble of bringing us down here? After hiding away for a few thousand years, why reveal all this alien stuff now? "

I dunno'. I think maybe someone—or something, somewhere up ahead, wants to meet us."

"Or kill us." Donna shook her head doubtfully.

Just then, a loud thump reverberated through the tunnel behind them. Giving a resigned sigh, Donna said, "Like that A&E reject back there, for instance?"

The Doctor glanced back and started to open his mouth.

"Don't say it, Doctor. I know the drill. At least traveling with you, I never have to worry about dieting."

Holding the flickering torch over his head, the Doctor ran alongside her as they pelted off down the passageway.

"And, you're getting a free preview of London's Olympic torch run."

"A mob of beautiful, fit people running through the streets." She said as she huffed along. "What'dya wanna' bet they'd take a pass on doin' that, if they had a killer robot chasing them?"

The two of them skidded to a halt as they came to a T-junction in the passage. Donna kept glancing over her shoulder nervously, as the robot-mummy's heavy footsteps came closer and closer. Donna dodged towards the right hand tunnel, only to be stopped by the Doctor grabbing onto her.

"What is it with you and hands?" She shouted angrily, looking almost ready to deck him.

"Whoa! Careful, Donna. One of these may be a false passage. Booby trapped to ward off tomb robbers."

"Oh, blinking typical. Which way, then?" Donna asked, only somewhat mollified. "And I wouldn't take too much time thinking about it. That thing back there isn't chasing us, cos' it wants to sell us some post cards."

The decision was made for them. Another robot-mummy came lurching out of the dark, in the passage to the right. It charged at them. Quickly, the Doctor thrust his flaming torch into the rags binding the mummy robot. Nothing happened.

"Wrappings impregnated with fire retardant. In compliance with Intergalactic Health and Safety Regs. I should've known." He muttered crossly.

He quickly thumbed a switch on the sonic, and thrust it out before him. It gave off a bone-shaking vibrating noise, causing dirt to trickle down from the ceiling.

"Oy! Watch it!" Donna shouted in alarm.

The sonic screwdriver's insistent noise also caused the robot-mummy to shake violently. Smoke began leaking from under the wrappings. Abruptly, it stiffened and fell forward onto its face, its massive head nearly missing the Doctor's trainers.

At the same time this happened, lights came on in the left side tunnel. Torches automatically flared up, one by one, all along its length, illuminating the darkness.

"Left it is, then." The Doctor shrugged.

"Wait! How do you know that way's not the trap?"

"Er—I don't."

"Well, that's reassuring, ta."

"You could always stay here, Donna. And buy a post card for your mummy from a...mummy."

"Word of advice, Doctor. Don't give up your day job. Come on, then. We'd better leg it before you can think of any more bad jokes."

Less than ten minutes later, the two of them came to another split in the tunnel. Breathing heavily, Donna ,suddenly feeling woozy, leaned against the wall. The Doctor was beside her in a flash, his brow creased with concern.

"You alright, Donna?"

"Yeah, fine. Just...need...to...get...my...breath." She panted.

"I'm sorry, Donna. I should have noticed. It's the air down here. It's stale. And there's not much of it. All those years of wind and erosion, probably caused the sand to cover most of the original ventilation shafts. You rest yourself, Donna. Take slow, deep breaths. I'll take a few readings with the sonic. Try to figure out which way we go from here so we can—"

"—You go to your right, this time...Doctor." Said a booming, commanding voice.

The deep, gravelly voice seemed to come from everywhere...and yet, nowhere. Its sound filled the passageway.

Donna and the Doctor looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Donna sighed and pushed herself upright. She took his hand and gave the Doctor a wan smile. "Well, you heard the man. Looks like we've landed ourselves a tour guide."

They carefully walked into the passage. As they went along, it became more and more elaborately decorated. The roughly dug out walls gave way to stone blocks covered with plaster. They were splashed with huge murals. The designs varied. Some depicted scenes of everyday Egyptian life, while others gave praise to Pharaoh. Painted in vivid shades of red, blue, green and yellow, they looked almost as new as if they'd been painted yesterday.

"It's beautiful!" Donna gasped with surprise and pleasure. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's good, isn't it?" The Doctor agreed.

They turned a corner and suddenly found themselves in a small chamber piled high with gold and ancient treasures.

"That, however...not so much." Donna muttered, making a face.

Sitting there before them, on a golden chair mounted on a raised platform, was a tall, very pale man. He was dressed in a long skirt and sash, elaborately woven with gold and dark blue threads. His feet were encased in golden, gem-studded sandals. Around his neck was a wide gold collar, decorated with lapis, ruby, onyx and emerald stones.

His head though, was what Donna was having difficulty with. That was quite unlike anything she'd ever seen before The man's head was silver and domed, with the white and crimson coils of the brain clearly showing through the front. His face was hidden behind a silver mask, a grotesque parody of a human face.

"What is it, Doctor?" Donna whispered, almost recoiling with disgust from the sight.

"A Cyber-king." The Doctor said in a low, grim tone. "It's called a Cyber-king, Donna."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

" Not a cyber-king, Doctor." The figure on the golden throne said in an harsh, ancient-sounding voice. He turned his inhuman face towards the Doctor, the seemingly blank eyes boring into the Time Lord's.

"I am _the_ king. One who has waited long in sleep, for the right time to awake. To lead the world into Re's light."

"You haven't been converted?" A puzzled Doctor asked.

"The Cybermen came here when I was an old, old man. They convinced me that they fell from a place they called the Void, but which we humans know as heaven. They said they were minor gods, servants of Re, sent to help me. Then the Cyber-leader gave me a golden amulet—which was made from a strange sort of metal. Lighter than gold it was, and warm to the touch. The Cybermen called it 'pyritetinium'."

"Found only on the planet Deprez Nine, in the Lasca System. " The Doctor nodded. "Looks like gold, but far more valuable. One of the rarest minerals ever discovered. How the Cybermen got hold of some, is anyone's guess. It's use has been banned for millions of years. Very dangerous stuff. Weapons using pyritetinium have destroyed whole worlds in less than a second. A kilo size chunk can contain the energy of ten suns within its core."

"The Cybermen had access to many wonders, Doctor." Pharaoh went on, "And they convinced me that they were acting on behalf of Re. I was told that Re said that to covet gold, whose shine was false, was to betray God. Only Re's golden light alone, shining from the heavens, should bless these lands. I was instructed to collect all the gold in the land, and destroy it. After they gave me the amulet, I was informed that it was a weapon of untold power. I was to use it to rule the world in Re's name. That people from every corner of the kingdom should come here to my city, to give homage to Re. "

"Then they lied to you." The Doctor stated flatly.

"Yes, Doctor. When I discovered that the Cybermen had tricked me, that they didn't believe in Re, I was very angry." Pharaoh leaned forward, his pale, sinewy hands gripping the sides of the throne. "I realized these sliver men weren't gods, but soldiers, running from some battle in the Overworld. Wanting only to enslave everyone, so that they might replenish their ranks. They had no other desire than to turn us all into soldiers, just like them."

"What happened?"

Curiosity was getting the better of the Doctor. All his instincts were telling him that he and Donna had to get out of there, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to hear the rest of the story.

"When I refused to do their bidding any longer, their leader ordered that I be converted. To become their Cyber-king. But my will was too strong. I turned their own power against them. But, before they died, I allowed the Cybermen to give me all of their knowledge...only then did I make the power of Re destroy them. I discovered why they feared gold. And used its poison to kill them. All except one. One soldier resisted me. In the end, I honoured his courage, and allowed him to live.

"If you have their knowledge, then you know who I am." The Doctor said somberly. "You know I have a long history with Cybermen." His eyes narrowed. "I know that a Cyberman is never truly alive. Robbed of emotion and independent thought, theirs is a mob consciousness. Automatically downloading what information their leaders decide to give them. Doing whatever all the other Cybermen do—which is usually killing innocent people. So why allow one to live, when it is already dead inside?" He finished coldly.

Donna shot him a concerned look. Once in a while, just when she thought she had him pegged down, the Doctor would abruptly change. Standing there, he suddenly reminded her of the time he destroyed that giant spider woman. Deliberately drowning the Empress of the Racnoss and her ravenous, man-eating children. Once again, the Doctor seemed distant and antonymous. Almost as full of ice and steel as the Cybermen he hated.

"I allowed the strong one to live," Pharaoh continued, "That he might forever serve and worship me. For I am Re's true and only servant. I am King of Egypt and all her subject states. Ruler of all the known world. I am the God, Anhkamenptah." He sat upright suddenly, and clapped his hands. "Come to me, Cyber-priest!"

The Doctor and Donna's heads whipped around, as out of the shadows behind them, marched one of the oddest looking Cyberman the Doctor had ever seen.

It was encased in the usual big, gleaming metal body. However, as they watched it step into the torchlight, they could see that the bottom half of that body, from hip to knee, was wrapped in a white and gold linen kilt. Stranger still, was the fact that its shoulders were draped with a leopard-skin robe, and its handled head was topped by a tall blue and red priest's hat. It may have looked silly, had been anything but a Cyberman. Even kitted out in Egyptian fancy dress, it still managed to exude a war-like menace.

"At your command, O king!" The Cyberman's monosyllabic metal voice rang out. The Doctor and Donna boggled, as it crashed to a halt, slammed a fist against its chest, then knelt submissively before Pharaoh.

"Erm—that's...different." The Doctor muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Pharaoh clapped his hands twice more, and the Cyber-priest was joined by two of the robot mummies. They came lurching out of the passageway, to stand at attention, one guarding each side of Pharaoh's throne.

"Oooh, Clapper robots! I love those! Used to use one to change the records on my stereo. May I?"

The Doctor clapped his hands twice. The two robots promptly lumbered back into the passage from whence they came. Pharaoh frowned, but said nothing. Grinning, the Doctor clapped his hands again, and again, the robots clumped back to stand beside the throne. All trace of the Doctor's previous hard demeanor had abruptly vanished. Except that this new, seemingly casual state, didn't quite reach his eyes.

"If you are finished playing?" Pharaoh said impatiently, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair.

"Er..." The Doctor pretended to think about it. "...Yeah, I suppose. For now."

"I am tolerant of you, Doctor. Because like myself, you too are of noble birth. A lord of time. The two of you will be converted to serve me..."

"You're not turning me into one of those things, mate!" Donna blurted out.

"Easy, Donna." The Doctor gently told her. "Afraid I'll have to take a pass on that, your kingliness." He said to Pharaoh. "Quite frankly, I've never fancied myself as a Cyber-servant. For one thing, the pay is rubbish! And the benefits just don't cut it. I mean, two week's holiday at Fayum Oasis? Come on! I'd be better off going to a Butlin's."

"Do not mock, Doctor. Willing or not, serve me you shall." Pharaoh warned him. "I will make you my high priest. You will share with me your knowledge of time travel." Pharaoh raised his arms triumphantly. "Together, we shall conquer numberless heavens and worlds, bringing the light of Re to all!"

"Well, that's nice. Except for one teensy little problem. I'm an atheist."

"When your mind is taken from you Doctor, you will do my bidding without question!" Pharaoh snarled behind his mask, slamming his hand down on the arm of his chair in an almost childish tantrum.

"Ouch! That's gotta' hurt." The Doctor muttered to Donna.

"Not used to anyone saying '_no_' to him, is he?" Donna whispered back. "Dated a bloke like that once. Ended up the night with a pint over his head...and my curry."

"Guards! Restrain them!" Pharaoh shouted at the two mummy-robots.

The Doctor quickly placed himself in front of Donna and drew out his sonic screwdriver. Squinting, he aimed it at the two robots. Without warning, the Cyber-priest stood. As it turned to face them, its arm snapped up and forward, revealing a weapon attached to the back of its wrist.

"Put down your weapon. Or you will be deleted." The Cyber-priest ordered.

His eyes darting anxiously between his three opponents, the Doctor's hand wavered. The Cyber-priest stepped sideways, aiming his weapon directly at Donna's head. Sighing with resignation, the Doctor reluctantly lowered the sonic.

"Take them to be processed! If they try to escape, kill them!" Pharaoh ordered.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

The Cyber-priest took away the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. It then placed the Doctor and Donna in manacles. With one of the robot mummies acting as a guard, the Cyber-priest proceeded to march them down a dimly lit passage. They were taken up a short flight of stairs, until they walked through a narrow doorway. The mummy had to step sideways to get through. The four of them were in a small, low-ceilinged room, which barely cleared the Cyper-priest's head

A curious Doctor commented that they appeared to be somewhere deep inside the temple. Possibly in a former store room or a granary. He even pointed out to Donna a cubicle-like partition in the back, where Pharaoh's scribes would sit and do the counting.

"Yeah, fascinating." Donna smirked. "I'll be sure to write a detailed description in my travel journal, before I go to bed tonight, Doctor. Providing that I'm actually still alive."

Unlike the rest of the places they'd been, this room was brightly lit with modern style lighting on the walls. Also different, was that the walls were undecorated, except for a large video screen hanging on the back wall. A barred and padlocked door stood opposite the staircase. There were but two objects in the room. One was a low stone bench, which dated to the time when the temple was built.

However, what was standing next to it, was not an original furnishing. It was a tall enclosed booth with metal sides One side of this object housed a variety of complex looking computer controls. Hanging from the ceiling above the booth, was an evil-looking apparatus consisting solely of gleaming knives and saws.

Donna stared up at the thing, and gave an involuntary shiver of fear. She suddenly felt the Doctor's hand squeeze hers. She looked up at him. He smiled briefly, giving her an encouraging wink. The two of them were then chained, side by side, to some heavy bronze rings which were inserted into one of the walls.

Instructing the robot mummy to watch them, the Cyber-priest dropped the keys and the screwdriver on the bench. Turning his back on the Doctor and Donna, he went over to the booth and began to fiddle with the controls. The Doctor eyed the keys and his sonic longingly. He sighed. They were much too far away for him to reach.

"That Pharaoh bloke downstairs could do with some serious therapy, if you ask me." Donna muttered crossly. "I mean, talk about having a God complex! And what about that thing?" She nodded towards the Cyber-priest, "Posing as a priest. Shouldn't that be illegal or something?"

"I think you're thinking of police officers, Donna. I had run-in's with aliens posing as Egyptian gods before." The Doctor said conversationally. "Several times, as a matter of fact. First time was during the Second World War. There were rumours that a German expedition had uncovered a huge jeweled casket, which supposedly contained the spirit of the goddess Hathor. They took it to a secret hiding place in Turkey. Unfortunately, before I could stop them, members of the party prised open the box. She woke up, and used the twin positronic energy beams from her horns to instantly disintegrate the lot of them. Not wise to wake a Bovinian warrior before its alarm clock goes off. They get _seriously_ cranky."

"You know, Doctor. If it were any other bloke was telling me this, I'd say he was just winding me up. Sounds too much like something out of an Indiana Jones film."

"Yeah. I probably shouldn't have told it to Speilburg. Although to be fair, he did offer me ten percent. I got him to give me a fedora and a bull whip, instead. I wonder where they got to? I suppose I should have a good clear out of the TARDIS, one of these days. We could do a boot sale! Imagine how that would go down with the e-bay and Antiques Roadshow crowd. They'd have a field day."

Donna shook her head. She was wondering if the Doctor was merely telling her a porkies, to take her mind off of that terrible machine

"Back to the point, Doctor." Donna sighed, deciding to play along. Chained to a wall, it wasn't like she had anything better to do. "Hathor didn't actually come back to life, did she? I mean, there isn't any mention of her showing up during the war in the history books, is there?"

"Where do you think folk tales and urban myths come from, Donna?"

"Well, I've never heard of some alien cow running about, shooting people with her death rays."

"That's because I hared myself off to Turkey and got rid of all that Nazi newsreel footage. And, took care of Hathor while I was at it. Nearly got myself killed in the process."

"You mean she tried to kill you, as well?"

"Nah. My donkey got zapped by lightning as I was riding through the Dardanelles. I bought Hathor one of those scratch off lottery tickets for her birthday. She instantly won the ten billion credit jackpot. Didn't have much reason to stick around, after that. She just packed her bags and flew off to Tahiti Minor, where the heifers don't wear any udderwear."

"Er—right. Just how many aliens _have_ posed as Egyptian gods, Doctor?" Donna asked, deciding that now wasn't the time for him to give her a detailed description of the activities of lesbian cow-aliens.

"More than you'd think. Last one I encountered was Sutekh, the Destroyer."

"What happened ?"

"Meh." The Doctor shrugged. "You might say he aged prematurely."

Suddenly, the video screen on the wall sprang to life. The image of Pharaoh's domed Cyber-king head appeared.

"Is the conversion device ready, Cyber-priest?" Pharaoh's voice rasped.

"Yes, O King!" The Cyber-priest responded, once again slamming its fist to its chest so hard in salute, that it made Donna wince.

"Then take the female, first. I am in need a slave to help fuel my ship. The fumes killed all the human slaves. After conversion, she will be immune to the poison. Then, we will convert the Doctor. I will use his knowledge to transverse all of time and space. Every living thing shall worship Re, or be deleted."

"Delete the unbelievers. Delete! Delete! Deleteeeete!" The walls echoed with the Cyber-priest's response.

"No! You can't!" The Doctor shouted, his eyes showing fear for the first time, as he strained against his bonds. The idea of this mad man having access to his brain was frightening enough. Yet more so, was the thought that his best friend, an emotive, spirited Donna, would be forever changed into an empty, characterless Cyberman.

"Oh no you don't!" Donna protested and struggled in vain, as the Cyber-priest began unchaining her.

"Leave Donna alone! Take me, instead!" The helpless Doctor pleaded, his chest heaving as he fought against the chains which kept him fastened to the stone wall.

"No, take me first. For I wish to serve the great king, Anhkamenptah." Came a voice from behind them.

All four occupants of the room turned at once to look. There was a piece of wall jutting open a half a meter. The entrance to some sort of secret passageway. Before it, stood Ahmed. He'd changed out of his student's clothes, and was now wearing a head scarf and the traditional robes of the local townspeople. Stiff-backed, he walked purposely into the room, staring straight ahead. Trying not to show any fear, Ahmed knelt before the video screen and bowed his head submissively.

"O mighty and noble King, the right hand of Re, hear me. In all humility I beg that you allow me, poor peasant that I am, the honour of serving you and the great God."

"What's he think he's playing at?" Donna asked the Doctor.

"No, Ahmed, you can't!" She called out, as the young man prostrated himself before the image of Pharaoh.

"Silence, woman!" Pharaoh commanded coldly from the screen. "If she speaks again Cyber-priest, have the guard crush her jaw. We only need her mind, after all."

Donna was about to fire off a retort, but the Doctor shot her a look which silenced her.

"Easy, Donna. He means it." He whispered. "Please. Just this once, do as you're told."

"Arise." Pharaoh spoke. His voice sounded both malevolent and pleased. Like a cat toying with a cornered mouse. "I will allow you to prove yourself worthy of serving me. You must walk into the conversion chamber of your own free will."

"Yes, my lord king! Re's blessings be upon you!" Ahmed said eagerly, as he rose to his feet, his body bent in an almost groveling posture. "I rejoice at hearing your words!"

Then, as Ahmed stood and bowed before Pharaoh, his right hand shot under his robes. Without warning, he produced a cricket bat, which he swung with all his might at the video screen. The shattered glass was still falling to the floor, when Ahmed dodged the Cyber-priest's outstretched hands, and cut a wide circle around the robot mummy. He fled to the Doctor's side, snatching the up the keys and the sonic screwdriver from the bench as he did so.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Donna." Ahmed babbled, "I should not have gone along with my mother and her irrational fears. I should have allowed you to stay with us. Then you would be safe now. It's all my fault! He ran up to the two of them, pressing the keys and sonic into the Doctor's hand. "Doctor, I—"

His words were cut off as the mummy's bandaged hand smashed into Ahmed's shoulder. Donna looked on, horrified, as the young man's body flew through the air. There was a sickening crack when his head hit the stone wall. Ahmed slumped to the floor, staring at the world through sightless eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

"No!" A shocked Donna shouted. She turned to the Doctor, tears in her eyes.

However, the Doctor wasn't looking at Ahmed. He was intent on trying to free himself.

"Ahmed's gone, and you're just standing there, making like Houdini. Like his death doesn't mean anything. Sometimes I forget how alien you really are, Doctor." She accused him.

Not looking up from his work, the Doctor frowned deeply. "I thought you knew me better than that, Donna. I care about every death. Including ours."

"Sorry, Doctor."

"It's OK, Donna." He said quietly, as he kept working away at his chains. In his frenetic movements though, the Doctor accidentally elbowed Donna in the side.

"Ow! That hurt! Who's side are you on, anyway?" Donna gasped.

In her disquieted state following Ahmed's sudden death, she reacted without thinking. Donna automatically jabbed the Doctor in the arm with her own elbow, in return. Giving a slight grunt of surprise, the Doctor dropped the keys. They gave a loud jangle as they hit the stone floor.

"You've lost the keys!" She told him.

"Er—yeah. I kinda' noticed that." The Doctor said dryly, his fingers still toiling away. "You know, I think maybe I should try to grow an extra set of hands, in my next regeneration. And longer arms." He pondered the idea for a second, shook his head. "Nah! That'd just look silly."

"But, they're completely out of reach, now. It's not like Cyber-pope over there is gonna' get the keys for you." Donna complained.

It was only then that she noticed that the Cyber-priest wasn't coming after them. It had gone back to progamming the conversion device, as soon as Ahmed had been taken care of by the robot mummy. It didn't even seem to notice that the keys were missing.

"Working on it!" The Doctor said impatiently, still frantically trying to undo his chains.

"How do you expect to free yourself without those keys?"

"Nag, nag, nag." He muttered, then said out loud. "I have the sonic, Donna."

"Oh. Yeah."

Donna paused. Then said warningly, "What about that robot, then? Can you free us before it bashes our brains in?"

"Eh?" The Doctor looked up, an eyebrow raised in consternation, as a huge shadow fell across him.

"Do you mind? You're blocking my light."

The robot mummy reached for him. Only to be stopped by the same vibrating high-pitched buzz from the sonic, which threw off its fellow guard back in the passageway. Yet this time, the robot merely staggered backwards, holding its bulky, bandaged hands to its head.

"It's not working!" Donna shouted.

"I know!" The Doctor responded. "It's their programming. It automatically downloads information from robots who've been disabled, then finds counter-measures to prevent it from happening again."

"You mean you can't stop them?"

"Oh, I can stop them. Only it'll take longer each time. Because I'll have to continually find a new subsonic resonating frequency."

"And that's not good, is it?"

"Not especially Donna, no."

The robot came at the Doctor again. Donna heard a low buzz from the sonic, followed by an audible click. The Doctor was free! Leaping clear of the mummy, he whirled about and squinting his eyes, aimed the sonic at Donna's bonds. With a loud clank, the chains fell away. Reaching past the deadly robot, he grabbed Donna by the arm and pulled her safely away from their guard.

"So, why isn't that Cyber-thingy trying to stop us?" Donna asked, as they made a dash for the doorway leading to the stairs.

"Not sure. I suspect its single-track mind isn't very given to independent thought. Obeying Pharaoh's every command is hardwired into its brain. It wasn't told to guard us, but to supervise the robot and operate the conversion chamber. The Cyber-priest will attack, Donna. But only if it's told to, or under a direct threat."

"STOP THEM!"

As they reached the doorway, they both came to a crashing halt. Their way was blocked by Pharaoh and yet another robot mummy. And coming up from behind them, stalked the Cyber-priest. The Doctor's head swiveled this way and that, as he gripped the sonic, frantically searched for a way out.

"Well, isn't that just wizard! It's being told to attack." Donna moaned,"We're trapped...again!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

"Now, I know you're angry, but let's be reasonable here. It's the twentieth century. Everything's changed. You don't have any idea..."

"SILENCE!" Pharaoh commanded, cutting the Doctor off in mid-sentence.

"Wish I could do that." Donna muttered.

"Do what?" The Doctor asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"Shut you up, before you go off on one of your little lectures."

"You do." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "All the time."

"Oh, get off! I do not!"

Thinking about it, Donna gave a shrug.

"OK," she admitted begrudgingly, "maybe a little. Sometimes."

"Take the prisoners back inside. And make sure you watch them closely, you fool." Pharaoh instructed the Cyber-priest. "Or I shall make the woman a slave to take your place, and blast you into nothingness."

"You''re not making me into any slave, your royal...pratness!" Donna shouted.

"_Pratness_?" The Doctor mouthed, arching an eyebrow at her as they were marched back into the conversion room by the Cyber-priest.

"You should rejoice that I've chosen you to serve me, woman." Pharaoh replied arrogantly. Crossing his arms he stood before her, striking an intimidating pose.

"The name's Donna." Not one to be outdone, she deliberately mimicked Pharaoh's stance. Though she tried not to look too closely at the brains peeping through his Cyber-head. "And there's no way anyone could ever '_rejoice_' at being a slave. How could anyone be happy to give up their freedom? For what? Free room and board, and a beating if you spill some tosser's drink?"

"It was written of me, on the great temple's eastern wall, that it was considered the greatest honour to be one of my slaves." He told her.

"Oh yeah? Let me guess. Cos' if they didn't say that, they'd end up with their heads getting the chop." Donna retorted.

"Surely, the slaves where you come from, cannot all be unhappy?"

"We don't have slaves where I come from, mate."

"Ahem. What about..." The Doctor interjected.

"You're not gonna' harp at me about that again, are you? People in other countries, working long hours for pennies. Yes, I am genuinely sorry for them, Doctor. The reality is though, not all of us can afford to be conscientious. Especially not the unemployed, or those working for minimum wage. You may be an all-knowing alien time traveler. But, there's hard things happening every day to people, that you never even bother to think about."

"If you'd let me finish? There _are _other types of slavery, Donna." The Doctor informed her.

"Like what?"

"You can be a slave to popular opinion, fashion, trends, money, power, addictions, obsessions, intolerance..."

"How very interesting!" Pharaoh broke in. "I shall enjoy exploring your mind, Doctor. Once you've been converted. And I think I'd like to visit your world, Donna. Where people manage to exist without the benefit of slaves."

"Arrgh! Everyone keeps interrupting me, today." Said the Doctor, pulling at his hair and stomping his foot, in a tiny fit of pique. He was choosing not to be baited by Pharaoh's last remarks. Though his eyes revealed his anger, just for a fraction of a second. "I'm not very fond of people who butt into my conversat..."

"I've come for that amulet, Pharaoh!" A new voice came from within the room's hidden passageway.

"Will you STOP doing that?" The Doctor whinged like a frustrated child.

He turned to face the newcomer. All of them did. Out of the crack in the wall came Professor Havensworth. His normally neat attire was now dusty and cobwebbed. He was holding something in his hand, and similar items bulged from his right hand suit pocket.

"Hullo! Is that a stick of dynamite in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" The Doctor said casually, eyeballing the bundle of dynamite in the professor's left hand. Several loose sticks were protruding from his suit.

"Oh, look." Donna sighed in disgust. "If it isn't good ol' professor dololly. And he's gotten himself an upgrade. Guns to bombs. What's next? A Spitfire and a Sherman tank?"

"I want that amulet." Professor Havensworth demanded, standing near the crack in the wall. "I've been up all night, planting explosives all around the temple site. Including the tunnel system. If even one tenth of what the legends say about that device are true, the Empire will be safe from the Nazi menace. No German bombs will drop on our sacred soil! Because they'll be no Germany! So, do hand it over Pharaoh, old chap. Or I'll blow us all to kingdom come."

"So, let me get this right." Donna said to him sarcastically. "You want to save the people of Britain from being bombed. And if you can't, you're going to blow us up instead. Hmm—makes a sort of sense I suppose. If you're..._Completely_. _Bonkers_!"

"Donna! Not helping." The Doctor hissed at her.

To Havensworth he said, in his most reasonable tone, "I can't let you do that, professor. You see, some points in history are fixed, some are in flux. I'm not just a time traveler. I'm a Time Lord. Time a part of who I am. It's always there, flowing around me, like water on a stream. I know what must be. And what cannot be. The war which is about to happen is a fixed point in time. Little things can and have changed, but the war itself must stand. For the sake of the human race, you cannot be allowed to change history."

"I hunger for souls to convert to Re. I thirst for the chance to escape this place, and walk through the worlds of past and present. To order them to my own liking. Which is why you wish to stop me, as well?" Came Pharaoh's harsh voice from behind the Doctor. "You do not wish to see me with the power to alter time?"

"Since you put it that way, yes." The Doctor answered shortly, jamming his hands into his pockets. He had to stop them both, now. _'One problem at a time, Doctor_.'" he thought to himself.

"If changing history means preserving our way of life, then so be it For the last time, Pharaoh. Give me that amulet." Havensworth demanded grimly.

"Blasphemer!" Pharaoh suddenly shouted at the professor. "No mortal controls the power of Re. That is a gift meant only for the gods."

"You're no god!" He sneered, staring at Pharaoh as if looking at something nasty he'd stepped in. "Merely a freak of nature. A thing created by those metal men, like your so-called priest there."

"_Don't_ antagonize him, professor." The Doctor tried to warn Havensworth. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Guard! Seize him!"

Through the open crack in the wall behind Havensworth, a bandaged arm reached out. It quickly wrapped itself around the man's neck. The robot mummy then forcefully dragged him before Pharaoh. Dropping the bundle of dynamite, the professor choked, struggling for life as the arm gripped him tighter.

"Hold." Pharaoh interceded, raising his hand. The mummy relaxed its grip slightly, causing Havensworth to gasp in relief. "I've a better use for him." The king said smugly. "Another slave to fuel my rocket. Take him to be converted."

"You can't! Pharaoh, you don't need to do this!" The Doctor protested. He surged forward, but was restrained by a threatening gesture from the Cyber-priest.

"You're next, Donna." Pharaoh almost gloated, as he stood triumphantly before the conversion chamber. "You and this professor shall be given the honour of helping me to achieve my great destiny."

The mummy forced a protesting, struggling Havensworth into the booth and locked the door. Then, it came to stand beside the Doctor and Donna, while the Cyber-priest moved over to the booth's controls. In seconds, the blades and saws overhead began to grind and whine into life. The Doctor physically turned Donna away, as the ugly machines lowered down and began their horrific work. She cringed, and he hugged her tighter as Havensworth began screaming.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

As Havensworth's screams died away, the conversion chamber went on with its heinous work. The humming and occasional sparks from the top of the machine, continuing with mechanical indifference.

"Take the woman, next!" Pharaoh's order to the robot mummy echoed through the stone chamber.

"Stop!" As he stepped forward, the Doctor's omnipotent Time Lord voice raised a counterpoint to Pharaoh's order. So powerful was the command, that even the Cyber-priest ceased what he was doing.

"Take me, instead. Leave Donna alone."

"Pharaoh," He continued, lowering his voice. The Doctor's diction becoming far more humble. "I will willingly serve as your advisor. You won't have to convert me into a Cyber-priest, Cyber-slave, Cyber...eunuch. Whatever. I shall submit to your whim, but only if you agree to spare Donna. Let her go, and I'll immediately give you everything you need, right now. My mind to yours. Not only billions of years of Time Lord knowledge, but total access to my TARDIS. What'd ya' say? Deal or no deal?"

"No, Doctor! You can't!" Donna shouted, struggling as the robot mummy grasped her arms. "I'm not worth this."

The Doctor turned suddenly, with a genuinely surprised look. "Oh, Donna Noble." He gave her a sad smile and said affectionately, "You are so absolutely worth it to me."

"Do you agree to obey my every command of your own free will?" Pharaoh asked, looking down his blank metal Cyber-face at the Doctor. "To serve me and almighty Re, for the rest of your days?"

"Yes."

"Then kneel before me Time Lord, and offer your faith unto Re."

With a melancholic expression, the Doctor walked up to Pharaoh and prostrated himself before him.

"Doctor! Please, don't!" Donna pleaded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Oh great king, I pledge to obey you in all things, and offer Re my...best wishes." The Doctor said softly, bowing until his forehead touched the cold stone floor.

"Take the girl!" Pharaoh abruptly snarled at the robot, sweeping a hand towards the conversion chamber. "I want the Doctor to see her suffer."

"What? What? WHAT!" A shocked Donna yelled at Pharaoh. "Why you little...you can't do that! The Doctor just said—"

"Silence! I do not need the Doctor's free will! As soon as he becomes my Cyber-slave, I can download all information from him automatically. Without my ever having to worry about him plotting against me, behind my back." Pharaoh told her.

"No deal, then. You picked the wrong answer. Game over. That's all I needed to hear." The Doctor said solemnly, as he quickly sprang upright. Then he flashed Donna a wide grin. "Speaking of hearing, cover your ears Donna!"

In his fist was the sonic screwdriver. Without hesitation, he aimed it at the ceiling. A high squeal erupted from the device, causing the roof to vibrate. Stone dust and bits of masonry immediately began sifting down to the floor, like snow. Both the Cyber-priest and robot began vibrating also. Even Pharaoh screamed, backing away. He was clutching his Cyber-head, shaking it violently as if it were suddenly full of angry bees.

"Donna! The door!"

"What?" She shouted, her fingers in her ears. "Speak louder! I can't hear you, Doctor."

"Then take your fingers out of your ears!"

"Oh. Er—yeah." She said sheepishly, as she took her fingers out of her ears. Donna immediately winced at the noise coming from the sonic, and wanted to put them back. "What where you saying?"

"That door over there on the far wall. Get that bar off! And be quick about it! This won't hold them for long." The Doctor hurriedly instructed her.

Donna quickly ran towards the door at the back of the room. She tried lifting the bar, but it wouldn't budge. She noted that one end of the bar was jutting out farther than the other. Swiftly she moved. Turning her back, she placed her shoulders under the bar, using them as a lever, but to no avail. The heavy piece of metal-bound wood was simply too heavy for her.

"It won't move!" She called breathlessly over to the Doctor. "What'll we do?"

"The secret passage, Donna! Run!" The Doctor shouted.

Keeping his eye on his adversaries, the Doctor was dismayed to see all of them beginning to recover. Pharaoh and the priest's cybernetic auto-defense programming was rapidly adjusting itself to the sonic attack. Likewise, the robot was also slowly correcting the faults caused by the high frequency vibrations.

Suddenly, the doors to the conversion chamber sprang open. Donna and the Doctor both turned to look, in time to see a brand new Cyberman step out. It seemed unaffected by the sonic screwdriver, as it marched up to Pharaoh and stood at attention.

"At your command." It said in its metallic voice.

Frowning, the Doctor sighed inwardly. Now he had yet another threat to contend with. It was proving to be a very busy day for him.

"Donna, into the tunnel. I'll be right behind you."

The two of them squeezed through the opening in the wall. They were in a narrow, torch-lit passage, dressed in plain stone blocks. It felt damp and smelled musty with age. There was barely room for the two of them to squeeze in together. The ceiling was so low, that they both had to stoop slightly.

Donna's eyes blinked as they adjusted to the dim interior, after being subjected to the brightly lit conversation chamber. She didn't see the Doctor bend down and scoop something off of the floor. Then, grabbing Donna by the arm, he tore off down the passageway.

"Come on, Donna! We haven't much time." He said anxiously.

They were only about a quarter of the way down the passage, when the secret door to the tunnel was forcefully pushed wide open. Light flooded into the tunnel, as the Cyber-priest and robot entered. The robot had trouble getting through, but it used it's enormous, powerful arm as a battering ram, turning the stone wall into rubble. In a matter of seconds, it had made the opening wide enough to allow it through.

"There here!" she said, glancing behind her.

"Yes, I can see that, Donna."

"We'll never out-run them, Doctor. What're we going to do?"

"This!" He grinned.

Barely pausing, the Doctor turned. "Here's hoping all those practice sessions with Babe Ruth paid off." He said to himself.

With a powerful overhand throw, he lobbed the stick of dynamite back towards the tunnel entrance. It landed several meters in front of the Cyber-priest and robot.

"Now run, Donna! Like you've never run before!"

They pelted at top speed towards the end of the tunnel. As he ran, the Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver behind his back. When he'd judged they were a safe distance away, he pressed the switch. The tip of the sonic glowed blue as it gave a gentle hum. There promptly came the flash and bang of an explosion.

The two of them instinctively ducked, coughing, as a cloud of dust and stones washed over them. It became hard to see, as all the torches behind them blew out. Leaving but one, near the end of the tunnel. Pausing, they looked behind them. As the cloud slowly began to dissipate, they could just about make out something lying there.

On top of a low pile of rubble lay the robot's head. Then, they boggled, as through the smoke and dust came marching the Cyber-priest. It was missing it's left arm, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

"Blimey! Pharaoh certainly got his pound's worth out of that one. Come on then, Donna. This is no time for cyber-spotting. Let's just hope there's truly light at the end of this dark tunnel." The Doctor said, as they swiftly made their way up a short flight of steps.

At the top, was a door he hoped would lead out of the tunnel. It took both the Doctor and Donna to push on the heavy door. Sand had drifted against the bottom edge, and the hinges had long been un-oiled. It slowly creaked open, revealing the bright daylight of late afternoon. Only then did Donna realize that they'd been underground for hours.

The door was located on the outside wall of the temple complex. Shading her eyes from the glare, Donna gasped with surprise and joy. There, sitting on the sand in the shadow of the walls, was the TARDIS! Parked right where the Doctor had left it, before chasing after the robot the night before.

Without warning, the Doctor gave a startled cry. Donna whirled around to see what was the matter. The Cyber-priest's right hand was reaching out from the doorway. It was clutching at the Doctor's left foot. With the strength of twenty men, it dragged him bodily to the floor.

Struggling to free himself, the Doctor kicked his free leg against the Cyber-priest's hand. "Stay back, Donna!" He warned her.

The Doctor grabbed the edge of the door and tried to pull himself up. The Cyber-priest responded by sending an electrical charge through his hand, into the Doctor's foot. Donna cried out, as the Doctor's whole body convulsed. Blue and white flashes of electrical charge coursed through him, as he let loose an agonized scream.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

"Doctor! What do I do?"

"Get...out of...here. Run, Donna. Just...run." The Doctor managed to gasp out.

Both he and the Cyber-priest lay prone on the ground. The Doctor's fingers clawing the sand for a purchase, the Cyber-priest physically dragging him backwards, towards the wrecked tunnel. Sweat dripped down like rain from the Doctor's forehead. He felt himself convulse again.

The voltage emitting from the Cyber-priest's hand, made his raw nerves feel as if they were jabbed with a red-hot poker. The Doctor heard a scream. He immediately thought of Donna. A split second later, was the realization that it came from him.

"You must be converted. Convert. Or be deleted. All power to Re." It told the Doctor, in its unemotional mechanical voice.

Donna ignored the Doctor's advice. Frantically, she cast about for something, anything, which she could use to distract the Cyber-priest. She spotted a hunk of oval-shaped red rock lying near the wall. Hefting it with the strength found only in the desperate, Donna flung it at the Cyber-priest.

It ducked the blow, but not before the rock glanced off the side of its head. The stone dislodged one of the handle-like projections on the Cyber-priest's metal head. Suddenly, a spectacular shower of sparks came shooting from one side, like a Bonfire Night sparkler.

The effect was that the Cyber-priest immediately let go of the Doctor's foot. Clutching its forehead, It gave what amounted to a scream of its own, and rolled away. Donna quickly ran to the Doctor's side, kneeling down beside him.

"Oh my God. Doctor, can you hear me?" Donna shouted, grabbing his hand and rubbing it. It felt cold, icy to the touch. She was thoroughly frightened now. Donna crouched over him, shaking his shoulder. He was passed out cold. Or possibly dead. She couldn't tell, but decided to think of him as alive, and go with that thought.

"Come on, spaceman. Wake up!"

The Doctor gave a low moan and muttered, "Pass me the tanning oil, Cleo." He gave no sign of waking up, though.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor. Really I am. But, I'm afraid this is gonna' hurt you more than me." She muttered apologetically. Just before she slapped him in the face. Hard. Twice.

"Ow! What'd ya' do that for?" He exclaimed, sitting upright, and rubbing his jaw.

Then, he wobbled a bit, and lay back down with a groan. Donna tried to help him up, but she found that a half-conscious Doctor was a dead weight.

"For a skinny bloke, you weigh an awful lot. Since you're not dead, you're gonna' have to do some of the work yourself, alien boy. I'm Donna Noble from Chiswick. Not...Zena, Warrior Princess." She told him caustically.

She wasn't really angry with him, of course. It was mostly that Donna was upset by her own fright. She was still a bit scared, to be truthful. The Cyber-priest was unmoving, but recent experienced proved to her that it didn't mean it would stay down.

"Yeah. No worries about wardrobe malfunctions, traveling with you. Zena did love her skimpy outfits. She almost got us arrested in Victorian London. Or was that Leela? I hope I'm not experiencing early senility." He said, slowly sitting up. He looked at her and gave her a fond smile "Thank you, Donna."

Then he glanced at the stone she'd hit the Cyber-priest with. "Nice throw, by the way. The head of Queen Zenobia, if I'm not mistaken. She's a long way from home. Came from Syria. Personally conquered half of the east before she died. I always said she was a-head of her time." He joked, giving Donna a lop-sided grin.

Donna looked at the red stone. He was right. It was a carved head of a fierce looking woman. She looked back at him, her brow creased in concern. "You alright now, Doctor?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. No worries, Donna." He lifted up his feet. The bottoms of his trainers were still smoldering slightly. "Rubber soles grounded the worst of the charge. Can't beat 'em! Unless I'm around horses. Then it's work boots, for me. I learned that, that time The Pie stepped on my foot after winning the Grand National. Blimey! It's not a lot of laughs, getting stomped on by a nine-hundred pound horse when you're wearing trainers. Let me tell you—."

"Oh, will you please shut up! Earth girl to Doctor! Hello! Cyber-priest. Right behind us. Starting to move." An exasperated Donna said to him.

The Cyber-priest had regained its feet now. It was walking towards them with it's arm outstretched, electrified fingers at the ready.

"Eh?" The Doctor said, turning to look, as if he'd really forgotten. "Oh. Riiight."

Weary as he was, the Doctor stood quickly, all set to make a run for the TARDIS. Until he spied something sitting behind the open door in the wall. It was an old-fashioned explosive charge plunger. And it had wires running from it. Seeing it, he grinned from ear to ear. Donna wondered what he was looking at. When she realized his intentions, she frowned.

"No way! You're not actually thinking of..." She shook her head.

"Yup." He nodded. "I'm sure Pharaoh always wanted to go out with a bang."

"That's what I was afraid of. Only, instead of him, it'll be us."

"Oh ye of little faith, Donna."

It's not faith I'm worried about, Doctor. It's you and me. Not getting blown to bits." She sighed. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Erm—not really. I think life's more fun that way." He looked at her. "Ready, Donna?"

"Not as such, no."

"Brillant! Neither am I."

"What the hell, Doctor. It's a nice day. Let's go blow something up." She smiled, giving him a resigned shrug.

"Right you are, Donna. Allons'y!" Grinning at her delightedly, the Doctor once more palmed his trusty screwdriver.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

The Doctor and Donna took shelter behind a huge, weathered stone carving of Pharaoh. He aimed the sonic screwdriver at the plunger and pressed down on the button. Donna covered her ears. Nothing happened. Donna frowned at at the Doctor. He was frowning down at the sonic. He tried banging on it with his palm. It gave a few feeble buzzes, then died.

"Arrgh!" He shouted in frustration. "Sonic's lost power. I've been using it too much. It needs to re-charge itself."

"Lovely. How long will it that take?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Not a clue, Donna." He shrugged, brushing sand from his hair and clothes. All the while keeping his eye on the approaching Cyber-priest. "A few minutes, a few hours. It's hard to say."

"You mean you don't know? But, you _made_ the blinking thing!" Donna chided him.

He rounded on her with a slightly cross expression. "Do you know precisely how long it takes your mobile to re-charge, every single time the battery goes flat?"

"Er-no." Donna admitted.

"Well, there you go then." He said simply.

As if that answered her question. Which it didn't. However, Donna didn't have time to worry any more about it. That's because the Doctor abruptly ran out from behind the statue, sprinting over to the plunger. Skidding to a halt, he knelt in the dirt. The Cyber-priest saw him, quickly did an about-turn and made for the Doctor.

Just as the Cyber-priest was about to attack, the Doctor hit the plunger. Without waiting to see the result, he sprang to his feet, making a mad dash back towards the protection of the statue. He'd barely gotten halfway, when the entire temple complex blew sky-high. From underground passages, to above-ground buildings, in seconds, one by one, it all went up in a tremendous ball of flame.

The blast was so immense, that the Doctor was flung bodily to the ground. Even Donna, still sheltering behind the statue, was driven to the floor by it. Shards of stone sung through the air like shrapnel, and debris came pelting down all around the grounds.

There was little left of the temple complex but rubble. Miraculously, when the smoke cleared, Donna and the Doctor both found themselves to be unhurt. The Cyber-priest wasn't so lucky. Caught by this explosion, all that was left of it was one leg standing on top of a tall pile of rubble.

"Now what does _that_ remind me of? "Ah. I remember now! Benedict Arnold!" The Doctor said, staring at the leg.

"What?" Donna asked, wondering if the Doctor had some kind of injury. "Are you sure you're alright Doctor? Maybe you should lie down for a bit, when we get back to the TARDIS.'

"Benedict Arnold. American Revolutionary War hero...that is, until he changed sides and went to work for your lot. Over a century later, the Americans honoured his role in the Battle of Saratoga, by erecting a statue of one of his boots. Said it wasn't worth seeing the rest of him. I told them they were being childish, and they...what?" He stared at her quizzically, "Why are you looking at me like that, Donna?"

Donna was indeed tilting her head up at him, giving the Doctor one of her looks. At his query, she rolled her eyes.

"You know what, Doctor? If you ever decide to retire from saving the universe, you could always hire yourself as a lecturer. I'm sure the pensioner's would love—"

All at once, the sand beneath her feet was vibrating. In fact, even the stones around them were trembling. They both looked at the floor with puzzled expressions. Then, there was a mighty roar. The ground in what was left of the complex suddenly belched up more dirt and stones.

From under the earth rose a large bullet-shaped bronze-coloured space craft, nose first. It was roughly double the size of your average removal van. There was a silver band around the wide end of the ship, which was marked with some kind of alien-looking hieroglyphics. The flat back end of the ship glowed with a bright white light, as the ship leveled off, tipping itself horizontally.

"That ship, Doctor." Donna said in a strained voice. "It's weird. I dunno'. It's like, looking at it makes me feel all sort of..._funny_ inside."

"It's a Rokonsojo Void ship. Built to travel in a completely empty environment. Containing no matter or energy of any kind. I remember, they'd built an experimental prototype. I'd no idea they'd actually got it to work. The Cybermen must have tracked it down, somehow. Used the ship as an escape pod. Now Pharaoh's using it to the same purpose. He must've gotten his brand-new pet Cyberman to help him re-fuel it. No human could withstand that sort of radiation for long." The Doctor rapidly told Donna.

Just then, a green beam of light spat out from the nose of the craft. A half-dozen meters in front of them, a ball of fire hit the sand, instantly fusing it into glass.

"Never mind that ship. I think getting into the TARDIS would be a really good idea, right about now!" Donna shouted, as she and the Doctor ran for the safety of his ship.

More and more explosions came closer and closer to them, showing the two of them with sand. When they got there, the Doctor unlocked and hastily threw open the door. The moment he did so, a second, narrower beam of light came from the ship. This one was so intensely red, that it hurt Donna's eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor yelled. "A Pyritetinium beam!"

It shot through the open door, hitting the TARDIS console. Just as the Doctor slammed the door shut, the Console sent up a shower of sparks. The Doctor and Donna were flung onto the decking. The ship abruptly groaned as if she were in pain. The central column glowed bright green, and began wheezing up and down.

"It can't be! He can't have! But...but...that's impossible!"

Getting himself up off the floor. He ran for the console, slipped and almost fell, as the ship suddenly gave a great heave. One of the glass roundels on the wall had been blown out by the blast. Flames were shooting from the hole. He finally made it, though. Yet, what he found when he got there, left him visibly shaken. The Doctor went staggering all around the still-smoking console, busy checking it over, trying to bring his ship back under control. But nothing he did seemed to work.

"Wha—what's going on, Doctor?" A slightly groggy Donna asked, as she still lay on the floor.

Sitting upright, Donna checked herself over, making sure nothing was broken. Though obviously she was going to have a few colourful bruises by tomorrow. If there was a tomorrow, that is. Judging by the ship was acting, that wasn't looking good.

"He sent a Pyritetinium beam directly into the TARDIS. It must've glanced off the console when it hit. Affected all the circuitry. Sent her into premature dematerialization." The Doctor called out to her from where he was working. He stared disbelievingly at the readings. Then turned and looked up at Donna, wide-eyed. "I can't stop her. We're out of control!"

Donna had finally managed to pick herself up from the floor. She was fumbling her way over towards him. It wasn't easy, for it was like trying to negotiate a ship's deck during a violent hurricane.

"Something tells me I'm not going to like our chosen destination." She said dryly, clinging to a handrail.

The Doctor's face was incredulous as he ran his fingers through his hair. "All of our shielding has been knocked out. Which, before you ask, is very, very bad, Donna."

"How bad?"

He simply stared at Donna, not wanting to tell her the truth.

"How bad is it, Doctor?" She asked evenly. Donna hated it when people dragged out bad news.

Taking a deep breath, he said softly, "We're headed right into the heart of the sun."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

The TARDIS was spinning out of control high up in earth's outer atmosphere. Glowing red with the resulting friction, it was accelerating away from the Earth, making a beeline directly for her sun. The Doctor had made a wobbly dash from the console to the decking underneath. Ripping off the metal grillwork, he virtually plunged headfirst into the machinery powering the TARDIS.

"It's getting hot in here. Can't you do something?" Donna shouted impatiently, casting a nervous glance at the fiery glow projecting through the glass in the doors.

"Nah. Thought I'd change into my swim wear. Get myself a nice tan, before I die." The Doctor answered irritably. "Of course I can do something! Problem is...can I do it before we crash into the sun?

"Well, thanks ever so much for that rousing pep talk, Doctor." Donna retorted, with an annoyed bobble of her head.

"Cheers, Donna."

The Doctor's words were followed by loud clanking noises and the sound of a ratchet turning something. She heard him talking to his recalcitrant sonic screwdriver. "Let's hope you've decided to re-charge yourself. Come on, you beauty! Don't let me down now."

Thankfully, there came the reassuring sound of the sonic's warbling buzz. Donna leaned over the railing and stared down at the hole in the grating. She had to squint, because the control room was beginning to fill with smoke. Without her asking, the Doctor estimated that they were probably less than five thousand miles from the sun now, and drawing ever closer.

Not that Donna really wanted to know that. She watched him work, wishing she could see and understand what he was doing. It would take her mind off of the approaching disaster. The Doctor was scrunched up in an awkward position, bottom upwards, with the sonic in one hand and what looked like a handful of yellow wires in the other. Or maybe it was a fistful of pasta. She couldn't tell because, unfortunately, his backsides partially blocked her view of the Doctor's activities.

How could someone so skinny, have such an amble bottom? She thought. It looked like two balloons inside his trousers. Donna made a face and shook her head. Not his best angle. She hoped he'd not eaten any curries recently. She wasn't having any that. Donna started to ask him if aliens fart, when a gray metal panel near the Doctor's head began to rattle and make a funny noise.

"Does that thing normally sound like that, Doctor? What _are_ you doing?" Donna called out to the Doctor.

"Somehow, the power generated by the amulet didn't just mess up the TARDIS' translation and navigational circuits. It's sent the gravitronic alignment off kilter. I'll have to recalibrate the quantum-phase power booster. Hang on. Wait just a tick. What's the retro-torque converter doing way down here? It's not supposed to be...Oh, no! Not again!"

"What's happened now?" Donna sighed.

"I've also just located a fault in the inter-spacial beam stabilizer. That hasn't happened in a very long while. Not since that time certain members of the Galifreyan High Council decided to re-route the TARDIS to Peladon. Without bothering to consult me first, I might add. Gah! Nothing but a mob of interfering busybodies, that lot."

"So, not at all like you then, were they?" Donna said, tongue in cheek.

"Not a bit." The Doctor responded, totally obtuse to her real meaning. "Never could stand control freaks."

"Yeah. Me neither. I had this blind date once. We'd not even got to the first kiss, and he's telling me if I wanted to keep on seeing him, I'd have to do stuff. Change my hair colour, for starters. I ask you, what's wrong with ginger hair? I also had to become a vegetarian and convert to his religion. Like that was ever gonna' happen! I'm surprised he didn't ask me to get a boob job while he was about it. I mean, how desperate for a man did he think I was?"

"Ouch!" The Doctor yelled, yanking his hand away from the now sparking gray panel. "The TARDIS' navigational matrix is definitely _not_ supposed to do that." He said, sucking on his scorched fingers. There was another buzz from the sonic. Once more the Doctor jerked his hand away, as more sparks shot up. "Bad TARDIS! Behave! I know you're upset, but getting tetchy with me won't help." He scolded his ship.

"Is there anything I can do, Doctor?" She asked him.

"Yes, Donna." He replied tensely. "You can stop talking. I'm trying to concentrate. This is a very delicate operation. One wrong move, and it'll punch a hole the size of Northumberland in the space-time continuum."

"Oh." She shrugged.

The TARDIS suddenly gave a tremendous lurch, almost spilling Donna over the handrail, on to the floor below. She cried out in alarm, but somehow managed to hang on. Though her left arm slamming against the railing didn't help her mood any.

"You alright, Donna?" An anxious Doctor shouted up at her. He was holding some sparking wires with one hand, and more sparking wires plus the sonic, in the other.

"Yeah. Fine." She answered breathlessly, coughing and trying to wave off the heavy smoke coming from the console and other parts of the TARDIS. "Have you ever thought of installing seat belts and air bags in this thing? Health and safety would have a field day in here."

They'd left the outer atmosphere, and were closer to the sun than ever before. The heat inside the control room was getting intense, as small fires broke out. Straightening upright and clinging to the railing for dear life, Donna mopped her dripping brow with her sleeve.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Doctor. Cos I don't fancy ending up my life as barbecued human." Through the smoke, the control room now glowed cherry red, as the light through the windows grew ever brighter.

"I just need to find the correct temporal resonance frequency!" The Doctor said frantically. She heard the sonic give off a loud buzz. It ended abruptly, and he gave victorious shout. "There! That's got it! Molto Bene! You may want to cover your ears for this bit, Donna. Give it, oh, roughly fifty years to reach the earth, and those folks down there at SETI will get quite an earful."

Donna clapped her hands to her head and cringed, as the console room was abruptly filled with a high-pitched, staccato squelch. "Its 'not doing my ears much good, Doctor."

The noise ended as quickly as it began. The TARDIS miraculously righted herself and began flying normally, away from the sun. Hidden exhaust fans automatically clicked on, clearing the worst of the smoke away. The air conditioning also kicked in, bringing the room's temperature back down to a more comfortable level.

The Doctor bounded out of the maintenance hatch. Not bothering to replace the grating cover, the metal decking rang with the pounding of his trainers, as he ran back up to the main console floor. Grabbing a fire extinguisher from under the jump seat, he'd put the few small fires out in a matter of seconds.

Once more back at the console, the Doctor began manically spinning, twisting and flipping things with a flourish. Rubbing her bruised arm where she'd banged in on the railing, Donna stood back and watched him.

"I found a trace of his ship, using a binary feedback loop of five point two-oh, on a temporal refractory scale of nine thousand metzohertz. Meaning," he added, before Donna could ask, "Pharaoh's gone back in time, but not far. Even equipped with the energy inside that amulet, he's not got nearly enough power. About fifty to eighty years either way, is about all he should be able to achieve. Which can still be very bad, if I don't stop him. Let's see where he's going, shall we?"

The Doctor stared at the a map he'd brought up on the console screen. "The trace appears somewhere over North America. Looks like..." He glanced down at a reading, "the early nineteen-sixties. I'll see if I can get a better fix on it."

With that said, the Doctor's frantic pace increased even more, as he tried to pin down where Pharaoh's ship went.

"That's it! Nineteen sixty-three. Somewhere over Manitoba, Canada. No, wait." Scrunching up his face, he stared at a blip on the monitor, making tracery line over a map of North America. "He's headed east and south, towards the United States. Near Lake Superior. I can programme the TARDIS to follow his ship wherever he goes." He grinned delightedly, watching the central column rise and fall, as he flipped some more switches."Off we go, then! Away from the sun, hot-footing it after Pharaoh. Get it? Hot-footing...?"

"Yeah." Donna sighed unenthusiastically. She frowned at him. "How can you stand there, making jokes? Now's not the time to audition your stand-up routine. Aside from the fact that the whole world's in danger, what about that nice boy, Ahmed? He's dead. And Havensworth just had his brain cut open. He's been turned into one of those...cyber-thingy's."

"Er—yes. Right." The Doctor nodded somberly. He tugged on his ear, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Like a mourner who'd only just realized he'd laughed too loudly at somebody's wake. "Sorry."

"Well, you should be." She gave him a forgiving smile. "Alien boy."

"I haven't forgotten them, Donna. I never forget anyone who's died or...been lost." He told her pensively, shoving his hands in his pockets, and turning away. "It's just that sometimes I get caught up in the moment and I...well, I shouldn't, I suppose..."

"Oh, never mind all that!" Still smiling up at him, she nudged the Doctor. "Let's go get that silver nutjob, before he turns the whole world into kilt-wearing Re worshipers."

Turning back round to look at her, he raised an eyebrow at Donna.

"I mean, some people _really_ shouldn't be seen wearing short skirts. Know what I mean?" She snorted derisively.

"Uh...not really Donna, no." The Doctor began to say something more, then shrugged in resignation. He decided his best course of action was to just shut up and fly the TARDIS. They had to stop Pharaoh before he ended up turning every human on Earth into Cyber-slaves.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

Donna was glad that she didn't easily succumb to seasickness. The TARDIS rocked and swayed, groaned and wheezed, through the space-time vortex. And indeed, their faces did look ill, bathed as they were in the blue-green light from the churning central column.

"Where're we going?" Donna called across the console to the Doctor.

"No idea." He shrugged.

"You mean you don't know?" She boggled at him.

"That is usually what I mean when I say that, Donna." He shot back at her.

"There goes the all-knowing alien theory out the window, then." She smirked, crossing her arms. "Typical man, you are. Afraid to use a map or ask for directions, cos you think it will insult your manhood."

"Donna! I'm not..." The Doctor flung her an exasperated look. "This isn't a time for guessing! One wrong move and we could end up someplace like, I dunno'..." he made a face. "..._Arizona_."

As he spoke, the Doctor was kept busy manically dancing around the console, checking readings and fiddling with switches.

"What's wrong with Arizona?" Donna asked. "Nice and warm. Lovely. They've got old London Bridge there, you know."

"They've also got thousands of guns in the hands of a culturally constipated, self-serving mob. And that's just the twenty-first century." He rolled his eyes in disgust. "Makes the Wild West look tame. And before you ask, that whole OK Corral thing had nothing to do with me. Well," he shrugged. "maybe just a little..."

"What's that red light over there?" Donna suddenly pointed towards what looked like the taillight from an old Morris Minor, which had suddenly begun blinking on and off.

"Oooh, that's not so good." The Doctor winced.

"Well, duhhh! Flashing red lights usually aren't, Doctor. All I've gotta' say is, it better not mean that we're about to blow up or something." She told him crossly.

"It's Pharaoh's ship!" The Doctor hissed in alarm, his face abruptly creased with anxiety. He scrambled to move the TARDIS out of the other ship's way. "He's traveling in the same part of the vortex as we are. Nothing too serious, as long as the two ships stay far enough apart. If I can keep at least five hundred kilometers distance between us, it should be fine."

"And if our two ships collide? That's bad." Donna surmised.

The Doctor paused only long enough to shoot her a sober glance. "Bad doesn't begin to cover it, Donna. Take everything bad that has ever happened since time began, and multiply it by a hundred billion. And you still wouldn't even come close. If two fixed points in the vortex happen to meet, then time would instantly implode. Everything in the universe will not only cease to be. It will never have existed in the first place."

"But, you said before, Doctor. You've been traveling in the vortex for hundreds of years. How come you never meet yourself?"

"I have, on rare occasions. Though I do try to avoid it, Donna. Some of those hairstyles I had. What was I thinking?' He shook himself. "Bleurgh! It's highly unlikely, though. That's because there's a failsafe built into every TARDIS. Binary temporal avoidance system." He answered, not bothering to look up, as his busy hands feverishly worked the controls. "Automatically detects another TARDIS in the vortex, and readjusts its flight path to go around. Thing is, it only works for standard time-space craft. Which, unfortunately for us, Pharaoh's ship isn't. You know," He sighed, pausing long enough to tug on his ear with a rueful expression, "I really should do something about that."

"Lack of hindsight. Bit embarrassing for a Time Lord, if you ask me." Donna shook her head. "And lack of foresight. Too bad you have no way of knowing when and where he's going to end up. Instead of coming upon his ship out of the blue like that and nearly destroying time. We could've landed there ahead of him."

The Doctor stopped what he was doing, and frowned at her. "Blue...blue...blue..." He pondered. Then flashed her a huge grin. "BLUE! That's it! Oh, Donna Noble. You're absolutely brilliant, you are!"

"Eh? What's this sudden obsession with colour? Are you feeling depressed, Doctor?" She asked, concerned.

"Project _Blue_book! The American government's list of official excuses for UFO sightings in the nineteen-sixties. Contains information on nearly all of their military investigations of UFOs. Last time I clocked Pharaoh, his ship was somewhere over North America, headed for nineteen sixty-three. Then, for some reason, it slipped out of time and went back into the vortex. Hence our near-collision. I'm getting out of here. Taking us somewhere safe. Then I'll see what information there is on UFO sightings. Maybe I can find a match for his ship."

Donna opened the TARDIS door. Her hair was whipped away by a sharp wind. The air was cold and thin. And so pure and refreshing, that it was like drinking a glass of ice water on a hot summer's day. Yet, it was the sight which met her eyes that truly took her breath away.

They'd landed on the roof of an enormous whitewashed building. Its breathtaking expanse took up the entire top of a broad, high hill. In the centre of the complex, the white paint was replaced by red. The part of the building with red walls sported gilt rooftops, shining with gold. Whitewashed stone walls and wide staircases, zig-zaged in seemingly haphazard fashion down the hill, beneath which sprawled a small city. This consisted of single-story buildings and a few scattered temples.

And, as if the man-made grandeur wasn't enough, everywhere Donna looked were immense, towering, snowcapped mountains.

"It's..oh my God." Donna gasped, for once nearly at a loss for words. "This is amazing. I've never seen anything like it. Where are we?"

"The Portala. In Lhasa, Tibet. Nice and safe." The Doctor informed her. He'd donned his glasses and was stooped down, busy reading the geometric Galifreyan writing on the console's monitor. "Five hundred rooms. Fourteen hundred windows. The seat of the Tibetan government. Home to the Dalli Lama. We used to be best mates. He had a wonderful sense of humour. Once told me this joke; a Sherpa, a yak herder and the Tibetan pope walk into a bar, and..."

"Doctor..." Donna interrupted him.

"Oh. Right. You've probably heard it already."

"You're supposed to be finding out where Pharaoh went to." Shaking her head, Donna shut the door and walked back over to the console.

"You'd like early twentieth century Tibet, Donna. One woman can have up to three husbands to nag."

"Look, Doctor. If all you're gonna' to do is stand there taking the mickey, I'm going for a walk."

"Patience, Donna! It's gotta' be in here, somewhere. Blimey!" He ran a hand through his hair, squinting at the information scrolling down the screen in front of him. "The sixties were busy. All those tourists, hanging out in space, recording rocket launches on their video vones. One of 'em has a break down, and it's hello Area 51. No STA back then. They're on their own."

"STA? Is that like an alien version of the CIA?"

"No, Donna. It stands for '_Space Transport Association'_. It's the Outer Space version of your auto club." He shook his head. "Nowadays, most intergalactic travelers can simply ring up for an emergency teleport. Back then, if they crashed, they were at the mercy of the military. Hence the Americans having to come up with stupid explanations for what happened. Believe me, Donna. The truth isn't half as absurd as this tedious adherence to that whole weather balloon theory."

"So, all those UFO sightings reported in the news in a couple of years back. Like that police helicopter chasing a UFO over Cardiff. They were tourists?"

"No. That lot were only a couple of extreme thrill seekers. I got the Judoon to let them off with a warning and sent them home to their parents. But, then there's all the others: illegal scientific research projects, military reconnaissance. Not to mention lost children, runaways and refugees. Earth antique collectors. Escaped criminals. Black marketeers. Policemen, soldiers, pirates, witches, demigods."

"Something tells me you're not telling porkies." Donna said, trying to digest this staggering information. "We've really been visited by all those aliens."

"Too many sometimes, Donna. Cybermen, Sontarans, Zygons, Parthagonian Weedheads, Slitheen, Daleks, Blowfish, The Most Righteous Order of Indignant Clowns. Just to name a few. More arriving with every passing year. I can barely keep up with it, myself. And almost all of them definitely _not_ supposed to be here. Earth's a listed planet. Has the equivalent of a brass plaque on the moon. Closed to tourists, these days. Need a special permit to get in. Takes years of red tape. Everything in quadruplicate, and don't get me started on the required vaccinations." He frowned and rubbed his face. "At least, Earth's supposed to be protected. Somehow, that doesn't seem to be taken very seriously."

"I think it is very well protected, Doctor." Donna said, giving him a knowing smile and a broad wink.

"It will be, if I can just figure out...Oh! Wait! I've got it! Why didn't I remember?" The Doctor tore at his hair in self-anger, pacing back and forth rapidly. "How could I forget an important detail like that? I'm getting old and thick, Donna. Too much stuff to remember. Sometimes I feel like my head's turning into treacle."

"What did you forget?"

"Kecksburg, Pennsylvania! Nineteen Sixty-five. According to eyewitness accounts, a UFO crashed with what was described as hieroglyphic markings on it."

"And you think that's Pharaoh's ship." Donna nodded.

"Only one way to find out." The Doctor said happily, as he cranked a lever and sent the TARDIS back into flight.

"Hang on, Doctor. What made it crash?" Donna shook her head. "Maybe you should wait until you're sure—Arrgh! Where'd you get your license to drive this thing?" She exclaimed, as, without warning, she was torn off her feet and fell in a heap onto the jump seat. "You buy it off some hoodie on a street corner?"

Donna's alarm was caused when the TARDIS suddenly gave a violent shudder. Once again, sparks showered the console deck. The Doctor was thrown to the floor, but quickly recovered and virtually threw himself across the controls. He was flying his ship like a madman, using both hands and a foot.

"It's Pharaoh's ship! It's still in the vortex. And it's out of control!" He shouted at her.

"Here we go, again!" Donna sighed with resignation. "Well at least now we know where he's gonna' land. You can get out of this."

She gaped at the Doctor. He wa standing there clutching the edge of the console, staring at her, wide-eyed. His expression appeared genuinely shocked.

"I'm sorry, Donna." He said, with infinite sadness. "I'm so very, very sorry. I can't stop it. We're gonna' crash. Time and all matter will cease to exist. Everything that ever was is about to be wiped from existence."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

"There's nothing I can do. Everyone's going to die." The Doctor said softly, with a wounded look upon his suddenly ancient face.

Having powered down the TARDIS to keep things from overloading, the Doctor and Donna stood in the dimmed light of the main control room, waiting for the inevitable. He turned from her, looking down at his trainers, not wanting Donna to see the tear forming in his eye.

"There's not much time left, Donna. A few moments, and everything will be gone." He sighed. "I just want say, how very happy I am to have met you. You've been...amazing. Thank you for finding me again."

So overwrought with emotion, that she didn't even feel the tears rolling down her cheeks, Donna went to him. Leaning her head against the Doctor's shoulder, she whispered, "Traveling with you...I wouldn't have given this up if my very life depended upon it. And, I'm glad I'm here with you, in the end. I wouldn't want you to die alone. That would be awful."

"Oh my God." She exclaimed, pulling away from him with a horrified look. "I've only just realized. My granddad and my mum. All my friends. They'll cease to exist too, won't they?"

"Donna, I..." He took a shuddering breath.

That's when he noticed a yellow blip flashing on the monitor screen.

"Here it comes!" The Doctor shouted grimly. "Donna! Get away from the console! She's gonna' blow!"

The Doctor physically dragged Donna back, putting protective arms around her. Donna cowered, as the Doctor did his best to shelter her from the pending implosion. There was a huge crash. The two of them were thrown together, as the TARDIS tilted crazily.

A heartbeat later, the ship righted herself again. The central column lit up and resumed it's regular pumping action, the TARDIS groaning along, as the ship began flying normally. The lights automatically came back on, as well. In fact, the TARDIS was reacting as if nothing untoward had happened at all.

Tensely watching the central console, the Doctor waited for it to explode. There was one brief, quiet fizzle. He raised an eyebrow, as he watched a tiny puff of smoke drift up towards the ceiling.

"Eh?" The Doctor said, looking askance at his TARDIS. "Is that it?"

Opening her eyes, Donna peered around the Doctor. Open-mouthed, in turns, she silently glared at the Doctor and then at the perfectly functioning controls. A half a minute later, Donna hauled off and punched the Doctor in the arm.

"What was that for?" He whinged at her indignantly, gingerly rubbing the sore spot.

"Were you just having me on? Or was this like, some sort of fire drill or something? Only, you could have told me! You scared me half to death!" She huffed at him.

"Trust me, Donna. No one's more surprised than I am." The Doctor told her with a shake of his head. His face lit up with a smile. "Isn't that brilliant? I love it when that happens."

"Brilliant isn't quite the same adjective I'd use, Doctor, no." A less than agreeable Donna replied. "Only that one's a bit too rude for me to say out loud."

"Alright, Donna. Sorry. But, focus on this: we're alive! So's the rest of the world. I can take you home for a visit, if you're worried about your family. _After_ I've taken care of things down on Earth. Time may still be on its proper course now, but if every human on the planet is converted..."

Leaving that last statement hanging in the air, the Doctor turned to the business of finding Pharaoh's ship. Donna watched him for a moment, then tapped the Doctor on the shoulder.

"What is it, Donna?" The Doctor asked tersely, as he concentrated on piloting his ship.

"Erm—sorry, Doctor. About what I said. I mean, that stuff about scaring me. It wasn't your fault." She apologized.

"Yeah." Was all he said, not looking at her.

The Doctor's head was down, focusing on getting a stuck lever to work. He reached over and grabbed a mallet hanging off the console. Taking a big swing, he whacked the mallet against the lever. It moved fractionally. The wheezing of the TARDIS got louder, and the central column churned up and down slightly faster than before. After watching it for a moment, the Doctor gave a nod of satisfaction. He went on with the task of pushing buttons and twisting dials.

Donna was beginning to feel a bit like a spare part, with nothing to do. To make conversation, she asked, "There was a pyramid back there. Near Pharaoh's temple. Did Cybermen help build it?"

"You humans!" He threw up his hands and gave her a look. "You'll believe in a fictional religion from Star Wars, but refuse to believe that a giant pyramid could be constructed without the aid of alien technology. As it happens, it was already there by the time the Cybermen came along. Trust me. The ancient Egyptians were no more clever or stupid than their present day counterparts."

"Alright, alright! No pyramids built by aliens. Got it, Doctor." Donna shrugged. "That'll be a blow to all the tin-foil hat people."

"I didn't say that. One of them _was_ alien-built, Donna. Amenhotep's chief architect was a Rosicrucian. They come from a small planet near the Àgötaras Nebula. Narrow, pointy heads. Big blobby bodies. They had a thing for that sort of design. Thought that art should imitate the body. Best strippers and pole dancers in the universe." The Doctor hesitated and actually blushed. "Erm—or so I've been...ah...told."

Before Donna could question him about that, the central column stopped moving. The TARDIS ceased its wheezing as it thumped to a halt. The Doctor breathed a silent sigh of relief. Grabbing his long coat and shrugging it on, his trainers fairly skipped towards the door. He flung it open. As he did, a shaft of late afternoon sunlight flooded the TARDIS interior. Squinting their eyes against it, Donna and the Doctor stepped through the doorway and took in their surroundings.

The were in a woodland surrounded by rolling hills. The sun was only just beginning to set. About a quarter mile behind the TARDIS, through the tops of the trees, they glimpsed the slate-shingled roof and tall white, metal-capped silo of an American style barn.

From the woods, a mockingbird sang out merrily, and a squirrel scolded them from a low-hanging branch. Crickets chirped their mating song in the tall grass. Far away on the wind, came the faint sound of a cockerel's crow. If mankind was alarmed at the sudden crash of an alien spaceship, nature seemed to be taking it all in stride.

In front of them, was the still smoking hole, in which Pharaoh's ship lay half buried in the dirt and leaves. Of Pharaoh, there was no sign.

"Do you think he's still in there?" Donna whispered.

"I don't know."

Donna began to creep towards the edge of the hole. The heat from the ship had turned the red clay to mud, and she nearly slipped and fell.

"Careful!" The Doctor said, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling Donna back towards him. "Better let me go first."

All of the sudden, the Doctor's highly-tuned ears could just about make out the shouts of men. He knew that they were just the first wave. Curious farmers and their sons,mainly, coming to check out the crash site. A loud hooter blew somewhere in the distance. It slowly cranked down, rose in it's single hoarse note again, and then kept on repeating.

"Is there going to be an air raid or something?" Donna asked, confused by the noise.

"No, Donna. That would be the town fire department. It's calling out the volunteers to man the apparatus. Which means, we've not got much time. They're just the locals right now. Probably think it's a downed plane. But, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that American military won't be very far behind. They've been tracking this ship for quite a while. Whatever's to be done, I'll have to do it in a hurry."

"What's the most they can they do, if they catch us here?" Donna scoffed. "Boss us about. Make us go home. '_Tell it to the marines?_' Pfft. I'd tell those boys a thing or two."

"Oh, I bet you would! I'd almost feel sorry for any general who got on the wrong side of you. You'd make Stalin himself turn tail and run."

The Doctor's eyes glinted with humour. Then, the look faded.

"Unfortunately, It's nineteen sixty-five."

"Yeah, I know that Doctor." Donna rolled her eyes. "What about it?"

"America's in the throes of a nuclear weapons psychosis. Schools hold atomic bomb drills and show young children safety films with titles like, '_Duck and Cover_'. They're deep in the cold war, and there's an unidentified aircraft flying over their airspace. I imagine the U.S. military _is_ rather cross right now. Not to mention scared. And take it from me, you cannot reason with paranoid people, Donna. Two alien ships landing in the same place, at the same time? I'd say we'd all definitely be in a spot of trouble if they catch us here."

All of the sudden, a sickly, glowing green gas began seeping though open door of the ship. It was jammed open against the side of the hole.

"Stay back! It's javron gas. The crash must've caused a leak somewhere inside the ship. Highly toxic to humans. A concentrated amount like that would kill you in less than a second." The Doctor warned Donna.

"There's people coming." She told him, casting a backwards glance. Firetruck and ambulance sirens had begun to wail from the direction of the town. Though she couldn't make out any words, Donna could now hear men shouting, coming ever closer. "What about them?"

"It's safe enough once the gas dissipates into the air. But, that could take a few minutes, and we haven't got that much time. I need to see if Pharaoh is still alive."

"Can he survive poison gas? She queried him.

"How should I know? It's not exactly like I've met many Cybermen with a god complex before, have I?"

"What about you? Won't you be poisoned, too?" Donna worried, staring now at the billowing, glowing cloud of gas, still oozing out of the ship.

The Doctor said nothing. His face was sober, set with a determined, fatalistic expression. Without him saying a word, Donna knew exactly what that meant.

"No! You can't!" She cried out, tearing at his sleeve, trying to stop him. "Doctor, please. I'm begging you. Don't."

"I have to, Donna." He said quietly.

"But...you could die."

Giving her a lop-sided smile, he shrugged.

"Meh. There's worse things than death."

She boggled at that. "What could be worse than dying?"

His smile faded. "When you've lived through your worst nightmares, Donna, death doesn't loom so large anymore. It doesn't give the same size and scope to your life, as it once did. And sometimes, neither does living."

"But, you _do_ go on living, Doctor. That's the whole point, isn't it?"

The Doctor heaved a heavy sigh and suddenly looked immeasurably sad.

"Yes, you do, Donna. But sometimes, carrying on with living can feel like a life sentence. When those things which always anchored your feet to the ground and made you what you are, are suddenly taken away, there's this temptation hanging before you. It's the desire not to care anymore."

"You care. I know you care." Donna said encouragingly.

"Yes, I do." His lips compressed into a thin smile, but it didn't quite reach the Doctor's eyes. "Because not caring is a trap. It's taking the easy way out. Because if you stop caring, if you shut out the world, then you've already stopped living. I suppose, that's why I need to have someone with me when I travel. Like you, Donna. To keep me focused on what's really important. I need a friend, not just to stop me...but to give me a reason to go on. To keep regenerating."

"Regene-what?" A baffled Donna asked. "I dunno', Doctor. Sometimes I think you just like making up words."

"Donna. I'm nine hundred years old, because I don't die. I regenerate. Same mind, same memories, different body. Every time I change though, it's like a death. The old me dies, a new man takes over. Yet, ever since I watched my planet and her people burn...for one brief moment last time, I was tempted to stop the regeneration process. To close the book and just let it end there. If it hadn't been for Rose..."

He abruptly ceased talking, almost shaking himself like a dog. He broke into a broad smile and winked at Donna.

"But then, that would mean never meeting humans like you. Be a shame to miss out on that."

"I don't know." Donna shook her head sadly. "That must be an awful way to live, sometimes."

"I'm a Time Lord. I go with the flow. It's both my curse and my good fortune. As an old mate of mine once wrote, '_He whom the gods love dies young_.' Which I suppose means that the gods must _really_ hate Time Lords...and Mick Jagger."

"You're going to give him a chance, aren't you? Pharaoh, I mean. You're going to ask him to make a better choice. Do you really think he'll accept? Has anyone ever changed their mind, Doctor?"

After a long pause the Doctor admitted, "No, not really."

Now Donna gave the Doctor a sad smile. "Still, you're gonna' try, aren't you? Only, I think I understand why, now."

Blinking in surprise, the Doctor looked at Donna as if seeing her for the first time. On impulse, he bent down and kissed her on the forehead. Standing back, gave her a warm smile.

"Yeah, Donna. I really think you do."

"OK, Doctor. Enough with the touchy-feely stuff. Next thing you know, we'll be havin' group hugs and singin' songs around the campfire. Alright, then. Go on, spaceman." Smiling, she gestured with her head towards Pharaoh's ship. "Better shake a leg before the military starts mucking in. You know what that lot are like. Especially the Americans. Drop bombs and ask questions later. Oh, and Doctor...Good luck."

With nothing more to be said, the Doctor gave her one last, fleeting smile. Then he turned and clambered down into the hole, which was now filled with the poisonous gas.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

Walking purposefully towards the gas-filled hole in the ground, the Doctor heard Donna wish him luck.

"Cheers, Donna." He answered, backhanding a wave in her direction.

In the last second before he clambered down to Pharaoh's ship, the Doctor drew in a deep breath of fresh air. Holding it, he quickly jumped into the hole. Slimy red clay clung to his trainers and trouser cuffs like cement. The Doctor nearly fell several times in the slick ooze of the steep, uneven sides of the pit.

Negotiating the ragged hole of the crash site, was not unlike trying to ski downhill on ice with with a pair snowshoes. The Doctor recalled that snowshoe racing on ice wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. However, a bet was a bet. Which he'd won, of course. A whole year's supply of Jelly Babies he reflected, was worth nearly breaking both legs when he'd hit that boulder. It was a stupid place to put a rock, anyway. In the middle of a frozen glacier.

The Doctor's attention was abruptly arrested at sight of some bronze-coloured metal, caught in the glare of the setting sun. The glowing green gas was so thick here at the bottom of the crash site, that he could barely see the ship's partly open door. The force of the crash had buckled the sliding door, pushing the bottom of it outward.

He'd made it to the ship all right, only to find that he couldn't quite fit his skinny body through the narrow opening. Tears streamed down his face as the gas stung his eyes. The Doctor mentally forced back the urge to breathe. He could hold his breath far longer than any human, but even his expansive alien lungs would require air, eventually.

Using his shoulder, the Doctor pushed on the door with all his strength. It moved about two centimeters before it stuck fast again. A frustrated growl rumbled in his throat, as he strained to budge it further. His eyes were blinking rapidly, because his vision was becoming blurred from the effects of the gas. Which is why the Doctor didn't notice the problem, right off. A smooth, rounded rock, about three times the size of his fist, had become wedged against the bottom of the door.

Seeing the obstruction, the Doctor rolled his eyes. In ancient Low Galifreyan, he silently swore at every single rock in the entire universe. Using his toe, he tried rolling the thing out of the way. It wouldn't move. Growing impatient, the Doctor gave the rock a good, solid kick. And quickly stifled the reflex to open his mouth in a shout of pain. For the Doctor's toe, unprotected as it was by the flimsy trainer, had come up the loser in that little battle.

With a throbbing right toe, and scowling fiercely at the offending object, the Doctor palmed the sonic screwdriver with vengeance in his eye. He was going to shift that blinking thing, if his life depended upon it—which it did. High sonic vibrations made the dirt and stones tremble. It loosened the rock's hold on the floor of the crater enough, for the Doctor to gently nudge it out of the way...with his other foot.

Once inside the downed craft, the Doctor was confronted by, not only more gas, but smoke from the damaged equipment. In the dark red glow of the emergency lighting, his stinging eyes struggled to find the life support panel. A full minute passed. One breath of that gas and he'd be finished. Maybe even before he could regenerate. And the The Doctor wasn't prepared for that eventuality, just yet.

However, he was all too aware of the fact that he was definitely nearing the end of his lung reserve. Finding what he was after, the Doctor's hand shot out. Gripping the sonic, he used it to trigger the ship's ventilation systems. Then waited with the faith of the desperate, hoping that they were still working.

There was an audible click, followed by the loud hum of a motor. An overhead blower began to suck out all the gas, while another blew in fresh air. The cockpit was clear of the poisonous gas and smoke in less than thirty seconds. The Doctor to breathed a sigh of relief, expelling the used-up air from his lungs.

Life support was about the only thing left working on board. Looking about him, the Doctor observed that the cockpit was a wreck. A tangle of intermittently sparking wires hung from ceiling over the pilot's chair. The view screen on the front wall was completely shattered. A few minor fires still flickered from weapons control, and the computer which navigated the craft was completely dead. Even the pilot and co-pilot's chairs had been violently overturned. There was not a single indication that there were any survivors.

There were no signs of life on board, because the ship was completely empty.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

Before the Doctor headed out of the ship, he paused. Slipping off a large panel, he put on his eyeglasses and examined the ship's power source.

"Lots of damage here. No wonder there was a gas leak. What's the nasty old Pharaoh done to you? Lousy driver. Does he not know where third gear is? No wonder the poor thing couldn't navigate the space-time vortex properly. Hmm—looks like a bespoke version of a neutronic star drive. Oh, you are beautiful! Not to mention, completely illegal and very bad for the environment."

After adjusting a setting on the screwdriver, he waved it at the instrument panel. The tip glowed blue and there was a brief, soft warble from the device. Abruptly, everything still working on the ship went dark. Pocketing the glasses and the sonic, the Doctor gave a self-satisfied smile and sauntered outside.

Donna was there, peering anxiously over the edge of the muddy crater.

"Are you alright?" She called down to him.

"Never better! Havensworth's gone. No sign of Pharaoh, either"

"Er—that's probably because he's standing right behind me, Doctor."

Gesturing with her head to indicate someone behind her, she gave him an apologetic smile.

"Which—and correct me if I'm wrong, Donna—should have been the very first words out of your mouth, just now." He chided her.

"Yeah." she admitted, sighing.

"Come to me, Doctor. Come and worship Re in my presence. Or your friend will die." Spoke the grating voice of Pharaoh.

The Doctor decided to try and stall for time until he could come up with a plan.

"You know, I'd really love to, your er...kingliness. Love, love, love, love, love to. But, I'd make a _lousy_ convert." Tugging on his ear, the Doctor called up to Pharaoh, "First off, I don't do sacrifices. Not gonna' happen. Plus, there's all that genuflecting and kneeling. I gotta' tell you, it's hell on the knees." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "And don't get me started with the chanting. Ugh! It's like Muzak for holy people..."

"ENOUGH!" Shouted Pharaoh. "Obey! You will obey me!"

"Obey? Are you a Cyberman or a Dalek?" The Doctor shook his head in mock puzzlement.

"Do as I order you, or Donna dies."

"Now there Pharaoh, you're not thinking clearly. If you kill Donna, I'll no longer have any incentive to listen to you, will I? In fact," his eyes narrowed with anger, "I'll have even more reason to stop you."

"What could you possibly do to me, Doctor? Obey my command. You cannot cower down there forever." Pharaoh persisted, though he obviously grasped the Doctor's threat.

Meanwhile, the Doctor dubiously eyed the thick, churned up mud he'd have to climb up through.

"Well, I would, but have you any idea how much the dry cleaning would cost? All that mud might be fine for naked sumo-whale mud wrestling, but I don't—what? Wait a minute. Hold on..."

Without warning, a beam of golden light had shot down into the hole. It encircled the Doctor, holding him fast. Struggling against the ring of energy which entrapped him, he desperately looked up. Pharaoh was standing closer to the edge now, Donna's arm gripped in his left hand. In Pharaoh's right hand was the amulet. He raised the amulet a fraction. Slowly, the Doctor's body rose in the air.

"As I said, Doctor. You _will_ obey. The power of Re is bringing you to me."

"My dry cleaner will be very unhappy about that. He could've made a packet." The Doctor quipped dryly.

Realizing that he was helpless while trapped within the energy ring, he'd stopped struggling. He was hanging in mid-air now, a meter in front of Pharaoh. The Doctor adopted a bland expression. Pharaoh held him there. His blank Cyber-eyes stared up at the Doctor. Almost taunting him, as a cat would taunt a mouse.

"I have only to focus my mind, Doctor. And Re will crush you in his fist of fire."

The Doctor effected the bored disinterest of a tired tourist. "Oh really? That's interesting. Then what?"

"You will be singing a different tune, when I get through with you, Doctor."

Doctor retaliated by singing in a mock bass.

"_Well, I've got an old mule and her name is Sal, fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.._."

"What are you doing?" Pharaoh's voice grated up a notch higher. He wasn't amused.

"Er—singing a different tune? Look, Pharaoh. Why don't you put me down? Then we can all have a nice cuppa and a little chin wag in the safety of my TARDIS. Before the American military gets here, and things get _seriously_ messy."

The sounds of men racing through the woods and brush towards the crash site, were drawing ever closer. "Over there! Through the trees. I think I see something!" They heard a young man's voice call out excitedly.

"Let me help you, Pharaoh!" The Doctor urged. "I can take you somewhere where you can start over. There's a planet called Asmet. The colonist's there have shaped their world based on the Egypt of your time. You wouldn't be able to rule them or convert anyone. However, you can live out the rest of your life in peace. Accepted and welcomed into their society as an honoured citizen."

"The Doctor's right." Donna added. "This isn't your world, anymore. Life has moved on. Thousands of years have gone by. Religion has changed. Nobody worships the sun any longer. Well, not unless they're _really_ into tanning..."

"Donna." The Doctor warned softly. "Back to the point?"

"That _is_ the point," she continued, "don't you see? Because we shouldn't move backwards. We should learn from the past, use it as a beginning, and go forwards from there."

"Yeah. What she said." The Doctor agreed.

"Hush, Doctor. Let me do the talking, for once." Reaching out, she fondly patted his dangling trainer.

"For once? I can never shut you up." Donna heard the Doctor mutter. She chose to ignore it. Though she'd have something to say to him about it, later.

Donna looked up into Pharaoh's Cyber face. She suddenly realized that her mind barely even registered his exposed brain now. Taking a deep breath, Donna went on.

"Pharaoh, listen. The human race_ has_ to move forward. It must be allowed to change. Your lot built pyramids which people of this time consider one of the true wonders of the world. Think about it, though. What if you didn't? What if someone like you came along, and demanded that your kings bury their dead in caves? If that happened, no one would even remember you, or your gods. You've left behind you a legacy, that no human being shall ever forget. Isn't that enough?"

"The people of this time shall worship Re. We will build temples to the great god all over the world." Pharaoh insisted stubbornly. He was almost behaving like some petulant child, now.

"Don't turn us all into slaves." Donna persisted. "Re is everything to you. I do understand that. Yet, what good is empty worship? Your Cyber-slaves won't actually care about what they're doing. I heard what the Doctor said. About the Cybermen. About them not having any emotions. How can anyone love, fear or honour a god, when there's no real, genuine feelings involved? They'll only be doing what they're told. You might as well expect a camel or a rubbish bin to practice your religion. Do you think that's what Re wants?"

"And _that's_ why you're my best mate, Donna." The Doctor said softly, giving her a wink. Donna decided to forgive his previous remark.

"Let the me help you." The Doctor pleaded softly. "Go with me to Asmet. Tell them about your love for Re. Maybe they will share your beliefs. Maybe they won't. But the thing is, if they do, it will be because they _want_ to worship your god. Not because they have to."

Pharaoh looked down at his ship. He gave a metallic sigh and lowered the amulet. Suddenly, the energy beam encircling the Doctor disappeared. With a surprised "Oomph!" he fell in a heap at Donna's feet.

"Perhaps you and the Doctor are right, Donna." Pharaoh said softly, hanging his head.

Then, without warning, he held up the amulet again and pointed it at the Doctor. "I think not, though!"

A gush of flame spouted from the amulet. The Doctor ducked. Again the flame roared in his direction. He took a giant leap to the side, only to trip on a branch and fall.

Once again, the amulet's fire was sent in his direction. Like a flame thrower, it headed right for the Doctor. Giving a strangled cry of fear, he rolled on his face, covering his head with his body, like a turtle. Donna watched in horror as gout of flame washed over him.

"Stop!" She shouted angrily, bodily throwing herself at Pharaoh.

The flame turned, its jet plowing into the mud of the hole below, sending up a geyser of steam. Pharaoh growled in anger and pushed Donna away. She fell and lay still. Pharaoh was not to be thwarted, however. He quickly recovered and began to re-aim the amulet towards where the Doctor lay. Only to find that the Doctor wasn't there.

Merely stunned by her fall, Donna recovered quickly. She was afraid to look, but when she heard Pharaoh's exclamation of surprise, she stared at the spot where the Doctor been. There was only a patch of smoking, charred grass.

"What? Where'd he go?" Donna said out loud. Had the Doctor been disintegrated?

"I'll take that, thank you." The Doctor's voice rang out from alongside Pharaoh, as his hand snatched the amulet away.

"Doctor! But, how did you...?" Donna asked, running up to him.

"I have my dry cleaner to thank for that. Washes my suit in a fireproofing solution boric acid and borax. He's rubbish at wine stains, though. Still, nobody's perfect. Well, except me perhaps. Hello, Donna!" He grinned, opening his arms and wrapping her in a hug.

All of the sudden, they heard a banging behind them. Pharaoh had spun around and made a mad dash for the TARDIS. He was banging his fist against the door, pulling frantically on the handle, trying to get it open.

"Arrgh!" The Doctor rolled his eyes, separating himself from Donna. "Never waste time in a hug!"

The two of them approached Pharaoh cautiously. The Doctor held the amulet in his hand. They both were surprised when the Cyberman-king whirled around to face them. He was holding a small, compact blaster.

"Give me the amulet, Doctor. Or I will bring down the wrath of Re upon you both!" He snarled.

"Watch it, Donna." The Doctor murmured. Placing himself in front of her, he kept a cautious eye on Pharaoh.

Just then, out of the woods, stumbled a teenage farm boy. Clad in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, he stopped dead, boggling at the sight of the crashed ship. As if only just realizing that he wasn't alone, he slowly turned. His eyes practically started out of his head.

Finally finding his voice, he managed to ask, "Is—is anyone hurt here?"

Before the young man could say anything more, Pharaoh hit him with a beam from his blaster. Enveloped in it's red light, the boy screamed, throwing up his arms as if to ward off death. But, he was too late. Donna looked on, shocked, as the body slowly blazed into nothingness, crumbling to ash and blowing away in the wind. Then, Pharaoh turned the weapon on her.

"No!" The Doctor yelled. Almost without thinking, he placed himself in front of the weapon's line of fire.

At that instant, the beam from Pharaoh's blaster shot out. Instead of the Doctor, it struck the amulet. The beam bounced back, hitting Pharaoh, instead. Like the boy, Pharaoh screamed and twisted in agony, before disintegrating into ash.

Later in the TARDIS, Donna and the Doctor were standing before the open door. Outside, a bright electric blue and orange gas cloud glowed in space, surrounded by flickering white, green and red stars. In the centre of this, stood an enormous, ominous looking black disk.

"You're seeing one of the rarest sights in the universe, Donna. The only black sun in existence."

Donna gave him an incredulous look. "OK, now you're having me on. How can a sun be black?"

"It's...complicated. In a n outer-spacey, techno-geeky sort of way. I guess the best way to explain, is that a black sun like a black hole. Only hotter."

With that, he pitched back his right arm and lobbed the amulet into space. The sun's inexorable pull of gravity drew the amulet to it. "Nothing can survive that. It's gone forever, now."

As the Doctor shut the doors, Donna had a sudden thought.

"Hang on, Doctor. What about Professor Havensworth. What happened to him?"

"Of course!" The Doctor slapped his forehead. "So _that's_ how that head got into Van Statten's museum! The Amish Cyberman! I'd forgotten all about that. Don't worry, Donna. One of my previous selves took care of Havensworth, years ago.

"What?" Donna put her hands to her temples and shook her head. "Oh, never mind. What about the Americans, though? Their military would love to get their hands on the technology from that ship. Won't that change history, Doctor?"

"Not a bit of it. Well, probably not. Well, I don't think so...Erm—maybe we should go back and find out."

"Don't. You. Dare." Donna warned him.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Donna." The Doctor reassured her. "I made certain nothing in there would ever work again. The ship's kaput. About all it's good for now, is a really impressive garden ornament. OK. Enough talking shop."

He bounded over to the console and began flipping switches. As the central column rose and fell, he looked up and shot Donna a boyant grin.

"I've an idea. Let's do lunch! America again, someplace quiet and out of the way. Back in the sixties. Before the health Nazis took over and began bossing everyone about. You humans do love to be told what to do. Anyway, there's this little Italian joint in the Hudson Valley, called _Spiak's_. Best spaghetti and steamed clams I've ever had. You'll love it!"

"Alright, Doctor. Why not?" Donna nodded, smiling back at him. Then she frowned. "As long as we don't end up in the middle of some alien mob hit or something."

Nah. That was back in the forties. Oooh! Did I mention? They show Dick Tracy and Hopalong Cassidy films to the kiddies on Saturday afternoons. If I time it right, we can just catch the second reel."

THE END


End file.
